Lost and Found
by WinterHeath
Summary: After arriving to the farmhouse everyone seemed to isolate themselves from each other to better hide their emotions. This has been especially hard for the extremely huggy and friendly little brother. Feeling lonely he wanders into the forest only to find someone else who misses their family as well.
1. Chapter 1 : Isolated

This story is mainly going to focus on Mikey and his little adventure. Later on Raph will probably join in. I really like to write about their brotherly relationship. They are just too precious.

It's my first multi chapter story so we'll see how that goes… I have the next chapter almost finished but I'm not entirely sure which direction this story will take.

Please tell me if you find any typos in the text. I read it a couple of times myself but there's always something I miss. I would also appreciate if you let me know what you think of the plot of course.

The story starts about 3-4 weeks after 2012 season 2 finale. Now enjoy.

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Chapter 1 : Isolated

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'One more level…' Michelangelo muttered under his breath unaware. His eyes were completely focused on the screen of his T-phone. His large fingers swiftly tapped on the lit screen as he played the only videogame he had. He finished it already five times since they had arrived to the farmhouse but at the moment everyone was busy with their own work and Mikey couldn't find anything else to entertain himself with. He already finished all his chores before noon and was free to spend the rest of the day however he wanted. Sadly there wasn't much to do. The farmhouse was pretty big but it was empty and plane, there wasn't anything interesting in it. The only exception was the television but it only had three programs that were mostly news or boring talk shows. Luckily in the evenings Crognard the Barbarian starts but even that show was only twice a week. Mikey never had time to bring any of his comics or toys when they fled New York from the Kraang invasion, so the T-phone was the only source of fun he had. He of course could go outside and explore the woods which he always wanted but Raphael had strictly banned him from going alone. And it wasn't likely that anyone would want to keep him company. Ever since they came to the farmhouse everyone has been absorbed into their own little world and have mostly been alienated from each other.

April took the responsibility for the house. She turned into one of those housewives that always find some kind of chores to do even after everything is tidy and clean. But Mikey didn't doubt her actions. Everyone had their own way of dealing with stress.

Casey and Donatello closed themselves in the barn a few days after the arrival. Casey had started fixing an old car he found inside while Donnie had been trying to create some kind of medicine for Leonardo. The two never got along very well and despite the fact that they spend entire days in the same room they mostly showed each other their backs while each on their own side of the barn. Mikey once tried to get them to talk but in only resulted in unwanted insults and remarks so he left them alone as much as he could.

The person the little brother has been worrying the most was Raphael. His brother spent whole days and nights beside Leo in the bathroom. At first Mikey approved knowing it will be good if Leo woke up with someone by his side but after those few days turned into weeks Leonardo still hasn't shown any sign of awakening. Yet Raph remained by his side at all times. He only left the room to eat and every now and then he decided to sleep on a real bed and not the small stool he sat on for hours. Mikey often came to keep him company so he wouldn't be so lonely but Raph always closed up when he came and unwantedly shut Mikey out. It was almost as if he didn't want his nonexistent conversation with Leonardo to be bothered.

And since everyone has been stuck in their own work away from each other Mikey used to make sure to gather everyone up when he cooked dinner or when his new favorite show started. But even those 'bonding times' were quiet and quickly over. It was almost like everyone felt bad if they wanted to talk about something that wasn't concerning Leo because they would feel like they are ignoring the situation but at the same time none of them wanted to talk about it because it seemed just too painful. Mikey thought it was stupid. But for the past few days he realized it was better to keep those kind of thought to himself. Instead he rather smiled like he usually did. He kept being the goofy baby brother that everyone needed at the time. He wasn't trying to be better than everyone and say he kept the whole family together. He couldn't always keep smiling when his oldest brother was in a coma. After a couple of weeks even he started to isolate himself away from others. He didn't want to but it was hard feeling unwanted all the time. So he only stuck for those dinner 'bonding times' they had. It wasn't much but it counted for something.

With the final tap on the phone screen the small spaceship got struck by a laser beam and exploded. Mikey again defeated the final boss for already the sixth time. He slightly grinned while still in the game but his smile quickly left his mouth and left an empty feeling in his stomach. He tossed the phone next to him on the couch and leaned back into the pillows. Staring at the ceiling he tried to think what he could do. His thoughts were quickly broken as he heard a slight clang of dishes in the kitchen. Without a second thought he smiled again and jumped over the couch to see what was going on. He found April in the kitchen standing over the sink and washing tea cups form the drawer.

"Hey April." Mikey jumped to her side. "What are you doing? I already washed the dishes before noon."

"Oh hi Mikey," April smiled while scrubbing a cup. "The cups looked dusty so decided to wash them. You know none of us really drinks tea except for… you know." Her voice trailed off and she shrugged at the end. Mikey's smile dropped again. Leonardo's and Splinter's names started to become forbidden words around the house lately.

"He who must not be named? You know you can say Leo and Splinter. It's not a crime."

"Yeah, sorry." April smiled without looking up and tried to look busy.

"Let me give you a hand." Mikey already grabbed a dishcloth ready to dry the cups April already washed.

"You know it's okay Mikey. I got this. It's a beautiful day. Why don't you go feed the chickens?" A forced smile crossed her lips as she lifted her gaze at the short turtle.

"I already fed them." Mikey tried to ignore the fakeness of it and dried the next cup.

"What about the eggs? Did you get those?" She pushed forward.

"Yeah I already did all that in the morning before breakfast."

"Oh you're such a good boy! You've been working so hard. Take a break and go relax a bit huh?" She played around with her words but it was clear she felt bad about it.

Mikey almost told her that he just had a long break and that she should be the one relaxing and taking a break instead, but held his tongue. He shoved aside the hurt of not wanting him around and replaced it with a smile that looked completely sincere.

"Sure thing! Thanks April." He chirped and ran away. He stopped by the door and looked up the stairs considering to go and see his brothers before changing his mind and stepping outside.

It was true. Despite the cold air it was a beautiful sunny day. The sunrays on Mikey's skin felt soft and pleasant. The boy didn't even realize how stiff he was until he stretched his arms on the porch. 'It feels like a nice day for some exercise' he thought as he eyed the forest around the House. The woods reflected nice warm shades of colors as the light hit the swaying branches of leaves. The colored fall leaves flew with the wind and sparkled like golden dust in the distance. The view was mesmerizing and Mikey hadn't even realized how long he'd been staring. As his thoughts focused back to the present he turned at the barn door. With a determined look Mikey paced towards it. He was decided to get Donnie to practice with him and maybe he'll even get him to go exploring the woods with him like he always wished. He creaked open the door and snuck inside. Donatello was across the room sitting by a large desk filled with glass vials of all sorts of chemicals. As Mikey crossed the room he noticed Casey's legs from under the old car. He stopped to crouch and greet him.

"Hey Casey. How's the rust bucket coming along?" He smiled at the boy who looked back from under the vehicle.

"Oh hey Mike! Didn't even hear you come in."

"It's called being ninja!" Mikey grinned and swung his arms in a fighting gesture trying to look intimidating and mysterious but instead just looked silly. "So do you think it'll start working soon?"

"I don't know. Some parts are really old and rusty. It would be much easier if I could just replace them." Casey explained as he worked on something out of Mikey's vision. The small turtle crouched and leaned further down to get a better look. He was never interested in machinery but at the moment anything looked interesting.

"What are you doing now?" He asked as Casey struggled with his wrench.

"You know Mikey," Casey stopped his doing, "I don't wanna sound mean but I'm kinda busy here. Why don't you go find something else to do?"

Mikey was slightly taken back but quickly recovered and stood up. "Yeah, sure…" he murmured and turned around. With a little less will now he made his way to his brother's desk. Donnie was just about to drop something into one of his vials so Mikey waited before greeting together with his happy smile.

"What do you want Mikey?" Was the first thing Donnie said while observing the chemical reaction. Mikey ignored his harsh tone and stepped closer.

"You know it's a beautiful day outside," he leaned into his brother's view, "just perfect for some training." He smiled showing off his big blue eyes.

"As you can see I'm in the middle of something." Don looked at him with narrowed eyes before returning his focus on the vial. "Besides… I think I'm getting really close this time."

"You've been at it for days Donnie. Your shell will get soft if you stop moving. C'mon! The fresh air will do you good. You can come back to your project after some exercise." Mikey hopped and tugged his brother's upper arm. "Maybe you'll even get some new ideas out in the open."

"This isn't something you can just come back to Mikey." Donnie pulled away from his short brother and turned back around. "I have to observe and write down every change that appears in the substance. If I don't I could miss something." He leaned closer to the glass and scribbled something into the notepad on the desk.

"C'mon D! It won't be long." Mikey resorted to whining. Maybe his brother would give in. It was a longshot but it could work. "I'm bored… And Lonely!" He gasped trying to add the dramatic effect. "I always wanted to go into the forest and you know I can't go alone. Please-please-please. You never do anything I ask you to." He almost begged on his knees.

"No Mikey! Save your pleas for someone else. Now let me work!" Donatello turned him down coldly and fully irritated.

"Fine!" The small turtle lifted his nose, turned on his heels and left. He had the urge to ask Casey on the way but the teen already clearly explained that he was busy and wanted to be left alone. Plus it would ruin the dramatic and offended air Mikey wanted to leave behind to hover over Donnie. He exited the barn with loud stomps but quickly lost his pace as he stared ahead of him. Again the beautiful view of the forest called for him. Mikey was determined to go into the forest today. He ran back to the house to ask April if she would by any chance want to join him. The kitchen was empty when he came back and there wasn't a sound in the air that would tell him where she went.

"April?" His loud voice echoed from the walls but no answer came. "April!" He yelled again. "Where could she go…?" He briefly looked over the living room before running upstairs to check the rooms. On his way up he noticed April back downstairs lying on the couch. She was sleeping. She was out of his sight so he couldn't notice her before.

'She must have worn herself out' Mikey thought as he stopped his steps. He smiled and decided to leave her sleep. 'It wouldn't be any fun if she's tired anyway.' His eyes left her sleeping form and turned to the door in front of him. He was unsure whether he should let himself in or not. His mind said to let it go but his feet still moved forward and stopped just outside the door. With an effort he grabbed the knob and turned it. The door creaked as he slowly pushed it open.

"Um… Raph…?" Mikey leaned into the room. Leonardo was lying in the bathtub full of water with his head resting unmovingly on the brim. Raphael was sitting near him on a small stool with his back to Mikey. He didn't move a bit when he heard his brother's voice.

"Would you like to come outside for a bit? It's a beautiful day." Mikey asked as quiet as he could trying to make himself seem small. But there was still a part of him that hoped his brother may want to spend some time with him for a change.

"Not right now Mikey." Raph's voice was rasp and quiet as if lost in thought. It was hard to believe it even belonged to the hotheaded brother.

"Yeah… thought so…" Mikey breathed out as he closed the door. He knew if he insisted it would only make things worse. With a low head he walked outside again and sat on the porch. It was still cold but the sun made up for it. He fidgeted with his fingers for a while not sure what to do next. He really wanted to explore the woods and it was a beautiful day. Sunny days were rare this time a year and today felt especially good to Mikey.

He pushed himself up and stepped down onto the grass. 'Maybe if I go alone no one will notice…' he thought unsure if he should disobey his brother's orders.

'I'm a ninja for crying out loud. What could happen if I walk around a bit? I can look after myself.' He started walking towards the trees. 'I'll be back just in time to make dinner. No one will know.' He reached the edge of the forest. 'And what they don't know won't hurt 'em.' He walked into the shadows of the trees without a second thought.


	2. Chapter 2 : No Sense for Directions

First off thank you for the nice response to the first chapter. The reviews really pushed me forward.

This chapter took a little longer because I wrote the third chapter before it (which was originally supposed to be the second chapter). It's also slightly short and I'm not entirely satisfied with it especially the ending but I couldn't find a different way to do it. But nevertheless I had fun with it. I'm a big nature lover so I wrote it with a little passion.

I feel there are a few sentences that are strangely formed so I ask my English reviewers to help me out.

The next chapter will be up soon since it's already done and I'll start working on the forth.

Now enjoy the story and let me know what you think.

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Chapter 2 : No Sense for Directions

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"Get ready men. The enemy is nearing the target. Resume hidden and wait for my mark…"

Mikey was crouching behind an old moss covered log. His head was lifted just enough so he could see over it. The boy's eyes were narrowed and his face focused and calm as if awaiting someone. He slowly weighted his right hand full of small round pebbles while searching the area with his gaze. He kept completely still for a minute.

"Attack!" He suddenly yelled and leaped over the log. With his left hand he swiftly threw the first rock and hit a pinecone a few meters before him. "Bullseye!" He grinned before turning and striking down three more. His eyes shined as he looked around for any more targets before running through the trees in search for more. He quickly stopped in his steps as he ran upon a whole pile of pinecones under a large pine tree. A bright fluffy squirrel was sitting on top munching on a seed when it looked up as soon as Mikey appeared. The squirrel quickly scrambled away onto the tree. As it skipped a few pinecones rolled down the pile towards Mikey's feet.

"There's too many of them!" the boy fell back on his butt and dropped the pebbles. "Retreat! Retreat!" He scrambled to his feet and rushed in the other direction away from the pinecones. He ran until he was hidden behind the rotten log again.

"That was close. The enemy almost defeated us even though we ambushed them. This is a grim day for our people." he furrowed his forehead and clenched his fist in front of his face as if mimicking a passionate general.

A long silent moment passed before he exhaled a deep breath and leaned back on the log.

Playing like this wasn't that much fun without his brothers. When the four brothers were little they would always play and explore the sewers together. They always stuck with each other. No one did anything alone -especially not Mikey. No one wanted to leave him out of their sight. He had always been very clumsy and a lot smaller than his brothers so they always babied him and declared him their baby brother. Mikey never complained. He enjoyed the attention they gave him. Even when they were older one of them would always join him if he wandered or skated through the sewers. He had a lousy sense of direction and he was known for getting lost at the first corner. But as they got older Mikey became more skilled and matured enough to be able to watch out for himself. But he never lost his baby brother title and his brothers still acted the same towards him. He was never left alone for a long time. But Mikey loved company even if it was just a feeling of presence it was good enough.

But lately it's been hard. No one seemed to want him around and he had nothing to distract himself with. The constant silence in the farmhouse felt like cold sharp knives. It was unbearable. Mikey was glad he decided to go into the woods to clear his head.

Already the first steps into the low bramble had been better than all the time he'd spend on the farm. The birds chirped as if announcing his arrival and the cold ground was covered with soft moss like a carpet to walk on. The rays of sun that escaped through the thick treetops created golden curtains all around him. The smell of forest soil and dried leaves was new to the small turtle but it soothed him just as much. The humid air made him feel refreshed and it cleared his head.

The boy spent a couple of hours only running around and observing everything he could. He felt like a little kid in a candy store. The giant anthills, the small tree mushrooms, everything looked interesting. Sure he'd seen it all on television and books. He's even been to the central park with his brothers a couple of times but it couldn't compare with a real wild forest. It was completely different to be able the see it all up close and touch it, even hear and smell it.

Not long after he'd wandered around and became slightly less curious for every little thing he saw had he started collecting small round white rocks that he used later to play with.

As he lay with his back on the old log Mikey's gaze traveled up and looked through the thick treetops. It settled on the warm orange sun. It was low and it seemed it will begin to set soon. The birds were starting to sing again as if announcing the end of the day. He hadn't even noticed how much time has passed since he left the house. It felt so little to him. But there was no time to complain. It was late and it was time to head back.

He lifted himself up onto his feet ready to return when he froze.

"Umm…" He looked around the trees trying to find the way he came from.

"This way…?" He mumbled to himself looking at a small passage between two tall birches. But his unsure gaze soon after turned to another passage between different trees. "Or this way…?" he almost squealed. 'This isn't good. Not good at all.' He hobbled on his feet a few moments trying to remember the way before deciding for the latter with clear uncertainty on his face. And even after walking down in the chosen direction he still wasn't sure if it was right or not. The trees all looked the same there wasn't any kind of path or trail in the ground.

After some minutes of aimless wandering he stopped when he noticed it started to get dark. He reached for his T-Phone when he realized this wasn't something he can just walk out of. He wouldn't hesitate so much to call but he felt like his brothers and friends were annoyed by him. 'They'll just have to help even if they don't want to' Mikey puffed. He just hoped anyone will answer.

His hand reached for the spot on his belt where the phone usually is. But his fingers only grabbed at air. "Huh?" He looked down to his side. The phone wasn't there. 'Where is it!?' He looked around his belt when he remembered he left it on the couch when he had finished playing the app early around noon. He mentally slapped himself before the panic in his chest started increasing as the thought of staying in the forest through the night crossed his mind.

'Maybe I can see where I am from above. Maybe I'll see the farm now that there's still a little sunlight left.' He tried to shake off the panic and keep a clear head.

He climbed the trunk of the nearest tree and jumped up the branches until he reached the top. He lifted himself on the last large branch and squirmed through the colored leaves carefully. With fingers crossed he looked around. The sun was setting behind a faraway hill in front of him and its' rays beamed at the tall treetops leaving behind a beautiful scenery. But the view around him stretched endlessly and all he could see were hills of trees and nothing else. No sign of any kind of house or opening.

"I'm lost! I'm completely lost! What am I going to do!?" He squealed out as if he just suffered a punch in the stomach. "Okay… no… wait calm down Mike. Think…" He tried to steady his breathing. He knew panicking isn't going to get him anywhere. 'What would my bros do in such a situation…?'

"The sun of course!" he beamed. "The sun's setting in that direction which means that's the west so that must be the north," he pointed at his right, "…which tells me…" He furrowed his forehead in concentration. "…Nothing! This tells me nothing! God why am I so bad with directions. I'm going to die in this forest all alone and hungry because I'm too stupid to think things through before doing them." He pouted and crossed his arms.

The movement made the tree branch he stood on swoon and his feet slipped. He yelled as he fell back down through the leaves but luckily quickly landed on the next branch with a thump. He clung to it with dear life before exhaling loudly. 'This is nothing like the New York rooftops…'

Slowly and carefully he climbed down and slid to the ground with his shell on the trunk. He curled up and hugged his knees. 'The guys are going to start worrying if I don't show up. They'll start searching for me. Then they'll find me and probably scream at me for wandering off but after that everything's going to be alright.' He tried to assure himself.

'…If they ever notice I'm gone.'

'Which is very unlikely.' He buried his face in his arms.

"I should have never left the farm. Raph was right. I really can't look out for myself."

A shiver ran through him and that's the first time Mikey realized the air will be getting colder. His eyes widened as he looked up at the sky. It was still slightly light but the sun was almost completely hidden behind the horizon. Some bigger stars already started to appear. The absence of the sun started to show in the temperature. It has already been cold during the days but at some nights it even came close to freezing.

Mikey had to move fast. The cold was not good for his coldblooded body. The small turtle was very well aware that if his temperature drops too much it'll start being hard for him to move and his body might go into hibernation.

Who knows what'll happen to him if that happens. But it can't be good.


	3. Chapter 3 : No Dinner

Wanted to post the next chapter after a week but I just couldn't let you wait any longer. You guys are amazing and thank you for such nice and encouraging reviews. You kept me up all night. I already finished the 5th chapter already. I liked writing this one because I just love me some drama ;D

Anyway I don't want to keep you waiting. Just want to point that I rather post smaller chapters and make sure that those are good instead of trying to make it lengthier.

Enjoy and let me know what you think. Also let me know if you find any mistakes or typos.

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Chapter 3 : No Dinner

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April woke up to realize it was already dark outside. It appeared she needed her nap more than she thought. With still a slightly hazy head she lifted herself up and made her way into the kitchen.

"Mikey, what's gonna be for dinner?" She stopped in her tracks as she found the kitchen empty and clean just like she left it earlier in the afternoon. "Strange… Isn't it time for dinner yet?" She asked herself as she turned to look at the wall clock in the living room. The old clock showed it was a few minutes to eight. "Dinner should have been an hour ago." She murmured under her breath as she checked the time on her phone to make sure it matched. Mikey always made sure to finish cooking at around seven and then gathered everyone up. 'Did he forget?'

"Mikey?!" She shouted in hopes to get a response. 'Where did you go?'

Just then the front door swung open.

"Hey what's up Red! What time is it? I'm freezing and damn am I starving!" Casey walked in being as loud as always followed by a slightly shivering Donatello. The cold late fall air started to creep into the living room and forced a shiver on April as well.

"Have you guys seen Mikey?" She hurriedly stepped to their side and looked behind Donnie in search for the small boy.

"No why?" Donnie questioned without any interest as he rubbed his tired eyes and closed the door with the other hand. The two boys turned towards the kitchen completely oblivious to the worry on April's face. The girl ignored them since they clearly didn't know anything and walked upstairs to check the rooms. 'Maybe he fell asleep just like me…'

"Hey where's the food!?" April heard Casey call out from the kitchen as she reached the end of the stairs. She rolled her eyes as she continued walking to the first door leaving out the bathroom.

"Mikey!" Donnie's voice followed Casey's sounding completely upset and irritated. He was tired, cold and hungry and wasn't in the mood for anything else than a warm dinner. Especially not in the mood for Mikey.

April checked the rooms and occasionally picked up an object and settled it down in a different location as if she were troubled by its' position. She finally looked into the last room but it was empty as well as the others. Confusion crossed her face. 'Where could the little troublemaker have gone?

She returned downstairs to find the boys sitting at the table as if waiting for dinner to cook and serve itself. Casey was leaning back in the chair and staring at the ceiling while Donnie leaned on the table and fidgeted with his fingers in front of his tired face. The both appeared awkward and focused on trying to ignore each other in the unpleasant silence.

"Guys I can't seem to find Mikey." April made her way around the table and in front of the two.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Donnie looked up with his eye ridge risen. Before he was more upset that there was nothing to eat than worried for his brother's whereabouts. Now he was starting to wonder what happened to him.

"I mean he's not here." April narrowed her eyes at Donatello.

"Maybe he went to visit the chickens?" Casey jokingly suggested without showing any concern and gestured back to the front door.

"Well why don't you go take a look then?" April snapped back. "And stop leaning in the chair. It's ticking me off."

"Fine." He muttered and toppled the chair beneath him before storming outside. Donnie intentionally watched and waited for Casey to leave before lifting his T-phone from his belt and shaking it for April to see.

"We could just call him you know." He suggested and dialed Mikey's number before pressing the phone to his ear. It rung a couple of times before a familiar ringtone came sounding from the living room. The two shared a glance before following the sound. The ringtone appeared to be coming from somewhere around the couch. Donnie stopped with confusion of his face while April moved over to the couch and searched it before finding Mikey's phone hidden underneath the pillows. She lifted it up for Donnie to see and he immediately canceled the call. The phone was lying where Mikey left it after finishing his boss battle early in the afternoon.

"Should we go tell Raph?" April asked with her worry growing stronger. It wasn't like Mikey to just disappear. He was usually the loudest in the room and the one to like company and sticking around the most.

"No I'm sure he's just outside." Donnie tried to brush it off. He didn't want to think anything is wrong even though his little brother had a gift for getting in trouble.

A silent minute passed between the two before Casey stumbled through the door breathing heavily as if he just sprinted three laps around the farm. His expression immediately told the other two that his search was unsuccessful.

"He's not with the chickens! I even checked the barn and around the house but nothing. It's like he turned into air or something." He closed the door behind him before approaching the two.

"Now… we go tell Raph." Donnie gulped.

They all froze and stood still a few moments as if glued to the floor. No one wanted to go upstairs. Raphael was like a ticking time bomb when it came to bad news. They could only hope he wouldn't burst into flames and break something or someone. They all stood in silence uneasily staring at each other for a while waiting for someone to make the first move. April was the first to give in.

"For crying out loud!" She stormed up the stairs with great speed but quickly slowed down before opening the bathroom door. "Raph…"

"Is it dinner already?" Raphael looked up from the chair. His voice sounded tight like of a small troubled child. It pained April to listen to it. That's why she rather did not. But the current situation was important.

"Well it should have been about an hour ago… But…" April didn't know how to put it. She didn't want Raph to freak out too fast. "We kind of can't find Mikey."

"What do you mean?" Raph turned around as he heard the news. He didn't quite understand what April meant by that. 'Was he hiding?'

"No one has seen him for a while and he's nowhere to be found." April explained while Raph stepped to her side.

'He must be hiding' Raphael thought. Mikey, even when younger, always liked to hide from his brothers when he got upset and Raph knew this the most. He was mostly the one that upset him in the first place. An angry thought crossed the teen's mind.

"Donnie!" He yelled and stormed out of the room. "What did you do!?" His eyes burned like flames.

"What did _I_ do?" Donnie jumped in disbelief. He didn't quite understand where Raphael was going with this.

"You know you can be such a jerk if you want! If you said anything mean to Mikey I swear to god I will pound you so hard you won't remember anything for the last few days." Raph clearly threatened his brother with his fists in front of his face. None of them have heard him talking in his angry tone since they fled the city. It was almost comforting to hear his usual voice but at the same time very unwanted.

"I didn't say anything to him. You are usually the rude one!" Donnie ignored the violent gesture and change in his brother's mood and crossed his arms. He straightened his back and made himself seem even taller than he already was. "The only conversation we sheared today was that he wanted to train outside but I told him I was busy. Which isn't rude, it's a fact." He scowled and tried to look intimidating in his own way.

"Dude you were pretty pissy when he asked." Casey disagreed.

"Oh like it was any worse than when you told him to get lost!" Donnie rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Stop arguing," April stepped between them, "you both successfully upset him so congrats on that."

"Oh like you're the perfect princess everyone loves. Even I'm offended when you hand around that fake smile every day. What are you trying to prove? That you can't be affected by this damn nightmare we're living?" Donnie suddenly exploded from all the pressure but his eyes quickly widened with shock after hearing his own words. Everyone stared at him unsure if they heard him right.

"April, I didn't…" He tried to speak but there was a lump in his throat.

"No Donnie you're right. I've been acting really horrible." April stopped him by admitting. She was sick of hiding from the truth.

"But who isn't these days?" Casey tried to change the unsetting mood. "We've all been pretty-"

"This talk is really interesting and all," Raph intruded, "but it still doesn't tell me where Mikey is."

"Raph's right. This can wait" '…a little longer.' "We have to figure out where Mikey went. When was the last time you saw him? I last saw him at about two in the afternoon. He went outside for a bit. …Actually I told him to go so he would leave me alone." April admitted shamefully.

"I think that's about the time he came to the barn. But he soon left." Donnie spoke.

"He wanted to train or something. But we both kinda told him to piss off." Casey added ashamed as well.

"I did the same I guess." Raph finished their little spill-out. His voice was quiet again.

They all stared at the floor in silence for a while unsure who felt worse about themselves.

"I suddenly feel like the biggest jerk in the universe." Casey spoke up.

"Yeah…"

"Poor Mikey. Why didn't he ever say anything? He must have been so lonely." April almost choked on her words.

"Maybe because none of us listened…" Donnie suggested even if it was too obvious.

"Then where do you think he went? He can't just disappear." Raph tried to get everyone's attention. He felt like they were hitting a wall every time they tried to talk about his absence.

"Well he did mention something about going into the forest." Donnie thought out loud.

"What!? And you didn't stop him!" Raph turned furious again. He was like an on and off switch.

"I didn't know he would go!" Donnie defended. "Besides you said he can't go alone."

"Hell yeah he can't. He's like a walking disaster." Raph shouted starting to panic inside.

"Looked in the mirror lately Raph?" Casey decided to join in to add the remark. He thought it would lift the mood. Raph only growled at him and everyone else ignored it.

"You really think he went into the woods? I mean even if he did wouldn't he be back by now?" April questioned. She knew Mikey was prone in getting into trouble but this was a peaceful forest not a city filled with street gangs and criminals.

"Unless something happened to him." Donnie declared still lost in thought. "He probably got lost. We've never been out of the city and in the wild before plus he never was a very observant ninja."

"Well that's just Great!" Raph kicked the side of the couch. "He's lost and freezing in the middle of a forest. He must be scared to death. Do you even know how many horror movies he watched where serial killers slaughter others in the woods? Too many!"

"We should start searching as soon as possible. Hopefully we'll find him soon." April suggested while laying her palm on Raph's shoulder trying to calm him down.

"He's a turtle how far could he get?" Casey uttered jokingly still trying to lift the tension.

"Let's hope not too far." Donnie stared out the window with worry building inside him. "There's going to be a cold snap."


	4. Chapter 4 : Nothing He Can't Handle

A slightly longer chapter this time. Again thank you for all the reviews they make me feel all soft inside. It's been a busy week and I didn't write any new chapters just fixed up a few that were already written. I've been mostly drawing. I even made a short strip about the turts UvU.

But hopefully I'll write some new chapters soon.

Anyway the story that I originally wanted to write took a slight turn but I like it better this way and further into the chapters you'll realize what I mean.

Okay enough blabbing. Onto the story and please leave a review with your thought. Also please point out any mistakes or typos you find.

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Chapter 4 : Nothing He Can't Handle

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Mikey wobbled on his short legs through the door and into Raphael's room. The lights were turned off and the only light came from the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and wall over his bed. Raph sat on the bed, his shoulder hunched forward and his head low with Spike lying on a soft pillow before him. It sounded like he was talking to the small tortoise but he was too quiet for Mikey to even notice.

"Hey Raphie!" Mikey greeted while holding onto an old, worn teddy bear by the hand and dragging it around beside himself as he skipped further into the room.

"Do you wanna go play with me?" He grinned while trying to balance the teddy on his head.

As Raph heard his little brother in the room he quickly wiped his flushed, wet cheeks and picked up Spike from the pillow and held him close to his plastron. He didn't want Mikey to see him crying or talking to his pet. He was sure Mikey would laugh and have something to say about it.

"No I don't wanna play with you, Mikey." He mumbled and looked over his shoulder from the bed still hiding the small tortoise. "Now get out my room and leave me alone!" He then shouted when he noticed Mikey was too preoccupied with keeping the stuffed toy to stay on his head.

Raph's sudden outburst startled Mikey and the teddy bear fell from his head to the floor. He quickly picked it up and hugged it close to himself as if scared it may be taken away. His big blue eyes slightly watered before they shut tightly and his shoulders tensed.

"You're such a meanie!" he yelled back at his brother.

Leo walked past the door just as he heard Michelangelo's high-pitched shout. He leaned through the doorframe to see his little brother standing before him with small hands curved into fists and one gripping a teddy bear. Raphael was sitting on the bed with his shell towards them. Leo knew very well that his hotheaded brother needed some space. He noticed the small tortoise his brother tried to hide from Mikey.

"You never want to play with me! You're so-"

Leo grabbed Mikey by the wrist and pulled him out of the room before he could say anything more.

"Come Mikey. I'll play with you."

He led his brother away and to the main room.

"Raphie is so stuck up! He never wants to do anything with me anymore!" Mikey grumbled and squeezed the teddy bear closer to his plastron.

"That's not true." Leo settled him on the couch and sat down beside him cross legged.

"Yes it is! He only carries Spike around all day." Mikey crossed his arms and leaned back into the pillows. He had noticed the tortoise and it made him feel even worse when Raph tried to hide it.

"Like you're any better with that bear…" Leo pointed at the toy beside Mikey. "Aren't you a little old for that? We're going to be 10 soon. In 3 years we're going to be teenagers!" Leo smiled trying to change the subject for Mikey to loosen up. He knew Mikey would get excited about that. Splinter always said that one day when they'll be older they'll be allowed to go topside. And they've wanted to see the city since they knew about it.

Mikey only huffed and pouted with his shoulders as high as possible. A silent moment passed before Leo spoke up again.

"You know if I remember right you two played with your action figures just yesterday."He grinned and poked Mikey into his side wanting him to stop frowning. Mikey giggled and shoved his hand away before his face turned grim again and looked away.

"You can't expect him to want to play with you all the time…"

"Why not?" Mikey mumbled still looking in the other direction. " _I_ want to play with him." The small turtle felt like it wasn't fair that Raph rather stayed in his room all day than do anything with his brothers.

"Well he's not you. He's Raph. You know the hotheaded fragile soul in denial." Leo singsong-ed and it forced Mikey to laugh and look back at him. The soft blue tones in Leo's eyes calmed the small turtle down a bit before his mind rushed back to the vivid green eyes of his red banded brother.

"But that still doesn't excuse him from being such a jerk." Mikey straightened his back and crossed his legs. He placed the teddy bear in front of him and leaned it on his plastron.

"He's just upset. I heard dad talking to him after training and saying that he has to learn to control his anger after losing a spar and that his outbursts and dark aura aren't helping anyone …or something like that. I think it really hurt him in a way. He just needs some time to let it out without exploding in our faces." Leo explained.

"Then why didn't he just say so when I came in?"

"He has a hard time opening up. I think he thinks we'll judge him or something. That's why he rather talks to Spike. …It'd be much easier for him if he just told us what bothered him then maybe we could help."

"But I don't judge like that!" Mikey blurted out and jumped to his feet on the couch. Leo looked up at him unsure what was on the freckled boy's mind.

"I'm going to tell him he can talk to me if he's upset." He gave Leo the plush bear and rushed away before his oldest brother could stop him or say anything else. He skipped to the door to Raph's room and opened it eagerly. Without a second thought he started talking.

"You know Raphie if you're sad you can talk to me. You're my bro. I won't judge you." He blabbed while walking into the room and stopping by Raphael's side on the bed.

"Leave me alone Mikey." Raph sniffed with an unusually low voice. He was still hiding his face. The timid sound stopped Mikey for a second.

"You know Leo said you should tell us what's on your mind so-" Mikey continued with a slightly lower tone but was cut off by his brother before he could even finish.

"How dare you use Leo as an excuse when he's hurt like that!" Raph turned around, lifted himself on his feet and leaned over the small turtle. He looked like he had been crying but his narrowed green eyes looked more poisonous than ever.

"What?" Mikey yelped unsure of what he was saying. He searched his brother's expression trying to understand his sudden outburst and anger but his eyes only shined as of a wild animal.

Mikey's gaze caught something changing behind his furious brother and he turned at the wall that was once filled with glowing stars. It wasn't even the wall of his room anymore. The wall was now tiled. He searched around and recognized the place. He was standing in the bathroom in April's farmhouse.

'This makes no sense…'

He turned back at Raph who no longer looked like a short 9 year-old with pudgy round cheeks but older, angrier, more muscular, more like a teenager.

"Leo may never wake up and you act like everything's okay! You talk about him like he's just hanging around in the next room! But he's not! He's here!" Raph screamed and gestured to the bathtub next to them. His chest heaved from the loud shouting.

Mikey gulped as he looked down and noticed the body of his oldest brother motionlessly lying in the tub. His body was covered with old scars and bruises. His plastron cracked and scratched.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Didn't know what!? -"

Mikey jumped back as his brother snapped again. But the jump only encouraged Raphael to step closer again. He hovered over him like a monster.

"- That you're supposed to feel sad? Have some respect for Leo and shut your damn yap already!" The words felt like punches.

Mikey's eyes watered again but this time he turned around and ran back out through the door before Raphael could say anything more. With his eyes shut he tried to keep the tears from falling. But just as he ran through the door away from the screaming figure he crashed into someone else.

"Woah Mikey, watch where you're going. So how'd it go with Raph?"

Mikey looked up to see a 9 year-old Leonardo staring down at him. 'What?!' His eyes widened as he searched his brother for an answer. He looked completely unharmed and healthy like always.

"That bad huh?" Leo frowned when he saw Mikey's teary frightened eyes.

"Leo…" Mikey breathed out visibly confused. He didn't understand. He just saw him lying unconscious in the bathtub. But he was standing in front of him like nothing ever happened.

"Yeah?" Leo asked when he noticed the confusion on his little brother's face.

Mikey didn't know how to explain what just happened. He turned back at the room to see if the 'older' Leo was still there but the door was already shut. It was the door to Raphael's room again. As Mikey turned around again he was greeted by Leo's expression full of concern.

"I…" He tried to find the words but didn't know how to ask. "I thought you were hurt?"

"Huh?" Leo's eye ridges rose. "Me? Nah I'm fine. Raph bruised me a little at training but I still beat him." He brushed it off and made a big goofy grin.

This made Mikey even more confused. He saw him beaten and unconscious just a few seconds ago. He was half dead. Raph said he might not make it.

"Calm down Mikey, I'm okay. There's nothing I can't handle." Leo reached down and wiped away the tears that rolled down his freckled cheeks.

Mikey smiled at his brotherly gesture and hiccupped. "Yeah I know. Raphie just scared me."

"Don't be scared. I'm right here and still breathing. " Leo pulled his little brother into a hug and Mikey without hesitation closed his eyes and leaned into the warm embrace he missed so much.

He snuggled closer not wanting to let go but the familiar warmness of his brother suddenly faded and was replaced by a cold breeze running down his skin.

Mikey's eyes snapped open and he was greeted by dry leaves scratching at his face. He looked up only to realize he was sleeping on a short bush. It took him a few moments to remember where he was. And unsetting cold feeling squeezed his stomach together. The forest looked a lot scarier at night. The moonlight shined through the treetops and threw long crooked dark shadows all around the forest floor.

'What was that dream…'

It was like two of his memories combined together. He remembers Raph being upset about his temper when they were little and he can't forget Raph yelling at him about Leo about three weeks ago. But in the dream these two memories just crossed over one another. It felt almost like the younger Leo from the first memory was trying to comfort Mikey about the newer memory and the current situation.

It was strange. He hadn't had any dreams like this before. Nowadays he usually dreamed about Raph telling him that he's being too happy because Leo's hurt and he should feel bad or Donnie telling him he's not doing anything to help. But mostly it's them getting angry with him when he says Leo's name as if it's forbidden to even mention him unless it's about his injuries or his current state. And even then they still get angry.

It's almost like they just want Mikey to forget their brave, nerdy big brother. It's almost like they want Leo to be just an empty shell they all have to keep alive.

Mikey knows that's not how his two brothers think about Leo. But it's been so hard to believe anything else when their actions are so clear.

Donnie thinks that closing up all those feelings will make everyone hurt less. But it hurts Mikey even more. He feels like his brother is turning into a heartless machine with just a task to complete.

Raph isn't far from it. But his red banded brother rather just focuses on the bad things and ignores everything else. As if no one is allowed to feel good while Leo's hurt.

The cold breeze washed away the thoughts and memories of the strange dream and reminded Mikey of the freezing air.

'When did I fall asleep?' The small turtle reached with his hand to rub his teary, sleepy eyes when he felt the numbness in his fingers. The cold was having an effect on his body.

 _Earlier in the night when the sun had completely set, he still walked around for a while in hopes he might have recognized anything but the temperature had dropped quicker than he had expected. I didn't take long for him to start feeling extremely tired and sleepy. His feet started to feel numb from the cold ground. He hardly kept his eyes open and his mind was screaming that he lie down and go to sleep. He kept awake for quite some time but after a while he just slipped to the ground and dozed off completely unaware. His mind was too blurry for him to even realize the danger of sleeping in the freezing night air._

Mikey rubbed his arms and shoulders hoping it'll warm him up a little but it didn't help much. The movement only made his sore muscles ache more. As he exhaled he could see a cloud of his cold breath lingering in front of his face.

"Okay Mikey, time to get up." He hissed as he moved on his knees and tried to lift himself up with the help of his arms. His knees and elbows cracked under the pressure as if they were made of ice. The numbness decreased but that just made the pain spread. His muscles were half asleep and freezing and weren't collaborating with him. But at the same time it felt like they were on fire.

"Get up!" He groaned and he focused all his strength on his legs. He eventually lifted himself but had to lean on a tree to catch a breath.

"No more sleeping." It was already a miracle he woke up this time but he was sure it wouldn't happen again. He had no idea how long he'd slept but it was still nighttime and the only light came from the moon. It could have been hours or only a few minutes. Either way he had to move if he wanted to keep warm.

He inhaled one more time before pushing himself from the tree and walking a few steps. His legs felt like they were made of wood but his knees felt like they would give in any second.

He managed to make a few slow steps before something caught his attention. He lifted his gaze and squinted his tired eyes to see it better. It was far away and well hidden behind the many branches and leaves that blocked the view.

He wasn't sure if he saw right but it looked like light. Not like the cold white moonlight.

It was warm and orange. Almost like…

'Like fire!' Mikey's eyes widened.


	5. Chapter 5 : Familiar Colors

First of all thank you for the lovely reviews. They just make me feel all soft. I would also like to thank BubblyShell22 for pointing out my grammar mistakes in the last chapter.

I know a lot of you wanted to find out what the cliffhanger I left in the last chap was but you'll just have to wait a little longer because we're returning to the other brothers.

If anyone recognizes the IDW comic series reference I love you ;D

Okay anyway enjoy the chapter and please leave a review of your thought on the story so far.

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Chapter 5 : Familiar Colors

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"Mikey!" Raphael yelled at the top of his lungs. His throat was starting to feel hoarse from all the shouting. The cold air rushed through his windpipe and lungs like sharp blades. Despite the painful feeling his shouts weren't any quieter than at the beginning.

They've been looking for their little brother for over an hour and there was still no sign of him anywhere. The knots in their stomachs doubled with each passing minute. It was freezing cold outside and the two brothers already had trouble focusing at the time. They both wore warm clothes but were still chilled to the bone. It was terrifying to even think how Mikey's doing in this weather. He had been missing for most of the day and night already.

Donnie was worried Mikey's body might go into hibernation if he doesn't get warmed up soon. None of them have ever experienced it before but from what Donnie assumes the body's physical state should be similar to a coma.

The idea of having two brothers in a coma scared Raphael. He couldn't live with himself if anything were to happen to his baby brother. But at the same time his thoughts kept going back to the farmhouse to his older brother. They left Leo all alone for the first time and he didn't feel right about it. 'What if something happens to him?'

"This is stupid. We'll never find him like this. It will take forever to search the whole forest and someone should be back at the house checking on Leo." Raph whined with his usual growling voice while breathing into his cold palms and rubbing them together to create a little warmth.

He and Donnie started searching the west side of the forest while April and Casey headed to the woods in the south. They decided to not split up any further in case anything happened to anyone. They kept their phones on themselves so they could locate each other and call for help if anything was to happen.

"Leo's condition has been stable for quite some time, Raph. There's a really small per cent possibility that something's going to happen to him right now. Let's just focus on finding Mikey first." Donatello explained without showing the smallest sign of sympathy for his brother's complains. He was extremely tired and was very much aware that finding Mikey like this was almost impossible. He didn't need anyone to remind him of it. He was already close to hopeless.

Raph grunted at Donnie's snapping tone but didn't say anything in return and continued shouting and searching around.

 _"_ _Mikey!"_

Flashing around with their flashlights and yelling their brother's name they proceeded deeper into the thick forest. They separated a few times but stayed close enough to still see each other. They didn't want to risk another brother getting lost.

They were already pretty deep in the woods when Donnie picked up on something that looked like imprints of something round and big in the moss covered ground. He trailed the imprints and recognized they were footprints. And only their feet were big and round enough to match the shape. He followed the steps not minding to tell Raph who was searching through the bushes a few steps away.

The footprints became a lot less noticeable when the moss covered ground turned to soil and dried leaves. Donnie carefully neared a bush where the prints lead to. He let out a disappointed sigh when he lost the trail but his breath hitched when he saw a huge figure emerge from the bush in front of him.

"Aaagh!" He yelled in utter fear. But as soon as his flashlight hit the person he recognized the broad shoulders and green skin.

"You scared me to death. You look like a serial killer." The tall turtle breathed out another sigh of relief before straightening his stance.

Raph looked himself over. He completely forgot he wore clothes. April found him a brown leather jacket that her father forgot at the farm the last time they visited. It was slightly tight around the shoulders but it still kept him warm. He had also placed a blue baseball cap on top of his bold head before pulling over the hoodie. He did look like someone you'd meet in an alley in the middle of the night. But the intention was to keep him warm.

"Bah… Like you look any better Inspector Gadget." He flung his arm at Donnie's direction.

His brother wore a long gray trench coat that went all the way over his knees. April dragged all the clothes out of some drawers in one of the bedrooms. She even found a parka for Casey and another jacket for herself. She wasn't even sure who half the clothes belonged to.

"I thought I look kinda cool. You know like Sherlock Holmes." Donnie sounded slightly offended.

"Inspector Gadget sounds cooler if you ask me." Raph smirked and crossed his arms. Donnie gave him a look but rather changed the topic.

"Why did you turn off your flashlight?"

"I think the batteries died. You should take a look or something." Raph handed the light to Donnie.

"Yeah I'm not going to carry it." Donnie didn't even flinch when Raph offered him the light. He knew his older brother to well to fall for his tricks anymore.

"You're learnin'." Raphael laughed as he stuck the flashlight under his belt where it wasn't in the way.

He hasn't laughed in a long time. He wasn't sure what it was but something in the cool night air just eased him. It didn't wash away the ever-growing worry and fear for their little brother but he just felt serene. As if someone was trying to tell him everything will be okay. Like someone wanted him to stop frustrating and stressing so much and just calm down. _…Open up. At least a bit._

Raph gazed at the soothing blue tones submerging the forest at night. …They felt so familiar…

'It's all gonna turn out just fine…' the thoughts echoed through him.

Donnie watched his brother as he stood frozen looking at the swaying treetops. It seemed like his body started to sway together with them as if he was in a trance.

"Umm… Raph?" Donnie shook Raph's shoulder. He was positive he will fall asleep any second now. Raphael didn't seem to react to the shake so Don shook him again this time harder and with both hands tightly gripping his shoulders.

"Wake up Raph! What's gotten into you?"

"Huh?" Raphael blinked twice before focusing his eyes back to the present. His thought already lost somewhere far away as he gazed at a worried Donatello in front of him. "What?"

"You completely spaced out." Donnie explained with slight worry in his tone.

Raph wrinkled his forehead trying to remember what happened but nothing came to him and he brushed it off as nothing.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired. Haven't been sleeping all that good you know."

"Yeah…" Donnie acknowledged but didn't completely buy his response. But there was no time or space for any more worrying. They needed to focus on the mission. Maybe when this is all over he could go back to the project he had to leave behind. If they find Mikey soon he might not need to start everything from the start again. He filled his head with different complicated chemical formulas to push away the frightening thoughts of his freezing brother.

"Come on Raph, I'll light the way." He gestured for Raphael to follow.

'There's no time for worrying only actions…'


	6. Chapter 6 : Don't Let Them Tell You

I've had a few busy days but I'm back with a new chapter. This one's a little longer.

I'd like to thank everyone who found the time to review and favorite/follow this story. You're all so kind and it just pushes me to write more. I can't believe this already has 60 followers! That's just amazing :D

Okay anyway… enjoy this chapter and please leave a review with your thoughts as always. And also tell me if you find any grammar mistakes. I like to make those ;P

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Chapter 6 Don't Let Them Tell You Otherwise

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The soft sounds of breaking burning wood were heard long before a light wave of warmer air reached Michelangelo's freezing skin. The turtle proceeded towards the light without anything else on his mind but to warm himself by the fire. His steps were rushed in his mind as he wanted to get to the source as fast as he could but in reality his pace was only getting slower. His legs shook underneath his weight and he needed to lean on each tree to rest on the way. After a long few minutes he finally reached the opening that revealed the bright campfire in the middle of it.

Without even thinking where the fire came from or looking for signs of anyone around Mikey rushed and collapsed in front of the shining flames. The sound of burning wood almost felt like music to his ears at that moment. His freezing numb palm reached as close as they could to the fire. Which wasn't far. Soon after the cold numbness left the skin it was immediately replaced by a sharp burning sensation. His body wasn't expecting the sudden change in temperature. But after a few long moments he welcomed the warmth by leaning closer and closer each time. He could feel regaining some control over the muscles in his arms and legs. It was almost like a layer of ice melted away from the limbs.

After a few more minutes when his blood started to flow normally again and he regained more focus a sound of snoring caught his ears. His eyes widened and he silently cursed himself by being so reckless. Slowly turning his head at the direction of the sound he spotted a small camouflaged tent under a pine tree. The snores coming from it were as loud as if coming from a beast and it made Mikey feel that much worse for not hearing them before. But he relaxed when he realized that whoever was in there was sleeping like a log.

He leaned his tired head onto his knees watching the bright orange flames while still keeping a small amount of his focus on the snoring noises. He really didn't need any hunters seeing him while he could barely walk.

Now that he warmed up a bit his fuzzy mind cleared a little but he still felt extremely tired.

He looked up at the patch of the night sky he was able to see in the small opening while thinking if he's any closer to the farmhouse or if he just wandered further into the woods. He knew he shouldn't have moved around when he realized he got lost but if he hadn't walked he'd probably be frozen to death by now.

He hugged his knees closer to his plastron trying to push away the thought.

Were his brothers looking for him? They undoubtedly were but he couldn't help but think that maybe they didn't even notice his absence. Maybe they were just glad to finally get some peace and quiet around the house.

The orange sparks flickered before Mikey's droopy eyes in a mesmerizing pattern. The bright flames waved with the light breeze and the warmth wrapped itself over Mikey's shoulders and shell.

The sleepy turtle smiled to himself remembering how Master Splinter once, when he was still little, told him that his cheerful smile was as bright and warm as any fire he'd seen. He used to say his goofy grins would always cheer everyone up.

But Mikey knew that his father's kind words were in the past because nowadays he brought everything else but joy and happiness to this family… No matter how much he tried to cheer everyone up it didn't work. It only made things worse.

He pushed the thought away again trying to ignore the sadness of it and tried to think of something positive.

'Maybe Leo woke up while I was gone!' It was very unlikely but Mikey always hoped for the best of things. But a thought of that happening quickly turned to false hope even for him. So he thought of something more possible.

'Maybe D finally managed to finish that cure he's been working on all this time…'

'Or maybe Casey finally fixed that old car…'

The wind blew through the opening again and the fire's warmth emerged around the turtle's small figure. It ran down his skin as softly as a drape made of silk. His eyelids suddenly felt as heavy as before. But it was pleasant and comfortable this time by the comforting fire. He didn't even know when his eyes fluttered shut or when his mind dozed off…

"Get up, Mikey! You're late for training and Splinter's angrier than usual! I don't want extra hours of training because of your recklessness. I have things I want to do today."

"Huh…?" Mikey shifted in the blankets. He was still half asleep and didn't make out all the words his brother was yelling at his face. Whatever he did make out wasn't worth opening his eyes and getting up. When the shouting finally stopped he relaxed back into the pillow and snuggled his blanket only for it to be snatched away from him.

"Now, Mikey!"

"Five more minutes…" The boy managed the words as if it was his last breath before turning on his side and hiding his face in the soft pillow. But just the next second he was robbed of that as well.

"I swear by Darwin's beard I will personally throw you off the bed I you don't get your shell in the dojo in the next three seconds!"

Mikey had still had second thoughts about getting up but eventually he opened his eyes and looked into Donnie's. If stares could kill Mikey was sure he'd be massacred by his brother's.

"I'm going. I'm going!" He yelped before flexibly jumping out of the bed and rushing out of his room completely avoiding Donnie's deadly glares. He was tying his orange bandana around his head as he rushed to the dojo. He ran so fast through the door he almost collided with his other two brothers who kneeled in the middle of the room. Without a word Mikey kneeled down beside them and stared at the floor in front of him. He didn't wish to come eye to eye with his sensei or his older brothers.

"So you finally decided to join your brothers, Michelangelo, hmm?" Splinter spoke calmly as he stood in front of his sons. He didn't show any sign of anger but Mikey could feel it in the air that he screwed up big time. Donnie quickly skipped into the dojo after his younger brother and kneeled down in front of their sensei as well.

"I'm sorry sensei. I didn't wake up…" Mikey mumbled at the floor hiding his gaze from others. A few extra minutes in his warm bed didn't feel that good now that all his brothers' angry stares were on him.

"Is that your excuse?" Master Splinter asked, eyeing the small form before him.

Mikey gulped down the saliva that gathered in his dry mouth before giving away a quiet: "Mhm…"

"Then I suppose you're rested enough for an extra two hours of training." Splinter declared which resulted with three annoyed sighs from the older brothers. The longest one coming from Donnie. The tall boy muttered something about wanting to finish an experiment before noon. Mikey just wished he could disappear at that moment.

The training was quiet and none of the brothers said a word to their little brother the whole time. It was when Splinter finally allowed them to stop and end the practice that Donnie spoke up again.

"Finally." He glared at Mikey, who shrunk under his gaze, before storming off predictably to his lab.

The small turtle stared at his brother leave through the door but then quickly turned to catch his other two brothers before they leave as well.

"Guys I'm really sorry. I messed up." He nervously scratched the back of his head.

Leo let out a long sigh, which made him look twice his actual age, before patting Mikey's shoulder and giving away a small smile.

"It's fine Mikey, just try not to do it again. And the remote's mine today."

"Fair enough." The freckled turtle beamed before facing his most hotheaded brother. He knew Raph has hard times forgiving about anything. But this time his brother just crossed his arms and shrugged.

"I could pound you," he started grimly but his tone softened afterwards, " …but the same story happened with me last week so I guess were even."

Mikey's smile stretched almost to his ears. He was so glad Raph decided to show some mercy. When Raphael saw the grin across his brother's face he quickly glared back.

"For now." He warned not wanting to let Mikey get too over confident.

"I can live with that Raph." Mikey pulled his brothers into a quick but strong hug before letting go and running off after his last older brother without another glance back. The two left behind, were bewildered and stood still for a couple of seconds staring at the door Mikey disappeared through. Then Raph suddenly shuddered as if trying to get rid of the warm feeling the hug left on his body. Leo on the other hand just smiled a toothy grin at his shorter brother knowing Raphael more likely enjoyed Mikey's display of affection than got disgusted by it. Raphael noticed the grin on Leo's face and growled in frustration.

Mikey ran to the lab but stopped to a halt when he reached the entrance door. Slowly he creaked open the door and snuck inside. He was determined to get his brother into a better mood. He didn't like it when others felt bad because of him. Donatello was across the large room sitting by a desk filled different parts of gadgets that Splinter got for him from the junkyard a few weeks ago. As Mikey crossed the room he noticed a box filled with all kinds of broken objects - most of them broken by no other than the clumsy little brother. The side of the box had 'needs to be fixed' written all over it with black marker. Mikey was slightly taken back by the large pile of stuff he ruined. He never knew he broke so much around the lair. With a little less will now he made his way to his brother's desk. Donnie was just about to push a wire into a small opening in some kind of a remote so Mikey waited before announcing his presence with his happy smile.

"What do you want Mikey?" Was the first thing Donnie said while he clipped the remaining wire away. Mikey ignored his harsh tone and stepped closer.

"You know…" he stepped to his side, "I'm really sorry you had to do extra training because of me..." He looked at his brother for a response but none was given as he continued wiring the small gadget. "I hope you can forgive me." Mikey added with the intention to get his brother's attention.

"As you can see I'm in the middle of something." Don looked at him with narrowed eyes before returning his focus on the remote. "Besides… There's nothing to forgive." He said it so simply but the harsh tone was still there.

"You're lying, bro. I know you're angry at me." Mikey wasn't happy with the response at all.

"I'm not angry at you right now because it's pointless and it won't change anything nor will it help me work on my experiment." Donatello spoke with each word sounding more high-strung.

"But you are angry." Mikey whined. He didn't even consider how annoying he must sound at the moment. He just wanted to clear tings up with Donnie.

"I'm not!" The older boy snapped. "Now let me work. I'm already behind schedule because of the training."

"Behind what schedule…? Loosen up a bit Donnie. Have some fun for a change. You know you can come skateboarding with me. It'll be fun! Just us bros!" Mikey smiled while offering his brother to relax a bit. He didn't understand that repairing and learning was something the purple banded turtle found joy in. "You can come back and fix this remote- thingy later."

"This isn't something you can just come back to Mikey." Donnie's voice was suddenly deeper as if it had gone through puberty but it still had the same amount of annyance. Mikey strangely didn't notice the change but was rather confused by the response.

"What do you mean? It's not going anywhere…?"

Donatello pulled his gaze away from the freckled turtle and turned back around to face the desk. "I have to observe and write down every change that appears in the substance. If I don't I could miss something." He leaned closer to the object in front of him and scribbled something into the notepad on the desk.

"What are you talk-" Mikey tried to ask but was already answered when he noticed a glass vial filled with a glowing chemical in his brothers grasp where the gadget used to be seconds ago. Confusion struck his face but before he could ask about it he realized they were no longer in the lab but in an old wooden room. He immediately recognized it as the barn at April's farmhouse.

"I knew you wouldn't understand." Donnie breathed out sounding extremely frustrated. "You're such a child, Mikey. Sitting around with happy thoughts and doing nothing isn't going to help change anything. Try to make yourself useful and stop bothering me. Can't you understand I'm working my ass off trying to get this family back together!"

Mikey felt himself getting smaller with each word his brother yelled. They felt like punches to his chest and in the end he didn't have enough air in his lungs to think straight let alone properly respond. It took him a few seconds for the words to settle in and it hurt him for how true they sounded. But the hurt was quickly replaced by anger. He did a lot to keep this family together just like Donnie. His approach was just different. And he was so provoked because Donnie constantly accused him of doing nothing. But he wasn't about to explode in his brother's face about it. He understood the burden Donatello carried. So he just quickly responded with a loud: "Fine!" before storming out of the barn and slamming the door behind him only to find himself in the main room of the lair.

"What was that all about?"

Mikey looked up from the floor to find Leonardo looking at him from the couch across the room. The oldest brother clearly heard Mikey's loud shout and the clear pang of the metal door that followed. His focus was entirely on his little brother and the Space Heroes episode that was playing on the television was completely forgotten.

Mikey drew out a short breath still irked by Donnie's words. Leo heard the quiet sigh and immediately knew something has really gotten under the small turtle's shell.

"Come here Mikey."

Michelangelo noticed the oldest brother making room beside him on the couch. With hesitant steps he walked over to Leo and sat down beside him. He noticed the worried looks in his brother's eyes as he neared him. It awoke a warm feeling inside of Mikey, knowing how much they all cared for each other, even if they caused pain in the first place.

Leo didn't say anything after he joined him on the couch and continued watching the television. But Mikey knew very well he was just waiting for him to speak on his own. The small turtle fumbled a bit with his words not knowing how to start. What Donnie told him hurt him very much and no matter how much he disagreed with his brother there was still a voice in the back of his head telling him it's all true.

"Do- …Do you think I'm not doing enough for our family?" He muttered still unsure of his words.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Leo was taken aback by Mikey's uncertain but serious tone.

"As in: Do you think I'm not helping enough in keeping us all together?"

Leonardo was baffled by this question. The answer seemed so clear to him he never even asked himself such a question. After he got out of his puzzled state he blinked a few times just to make sure Mikey really said that. He saw his youngest brother looking at him with so much concern he had never seen on his face before. He didn't believe the expression could be true so he let out a short laugh. But it was quickly silenced when Mikey looked at the floor ashamed.

"Mikey…" Leo placed his hand on the small shoulder to get Mikey to look at him. "I can't believe you're serious about this. Of course you're doing enough. Hell, you do even more than anyone else." The young teen smiled and rocked Mikey's shoulder in a friendly manner. Mikey returned the smile that was just as sincere.

"You're the one that always gets us all together to play games and have some fun. You even cook for all of us since the rest of us suck at it."

"That's true." Mikey chuckled remembering the disasters that followed in the kitchen when one of the brothers decided to make something on their own. But the memories were replaced by the annoyed yells he heard moments ago.

"But I always goof around…"

"Yeah you do. A lot!" Leo didn't notice the sad tone returning to Mikey's voice.

"I never do anything important…"

"That's not true-"

"But it is! You always help around the lair and you have so many great ideas, and Raph's strong so he always does all the physical heavy liftin' and Donnie fixes everything we break -I break. I just smile a lot and that's it."

"Okay, what's gotten into you Mikey? Whatever Donnie said to you in there he probably just said from pure stress and lack of sleep. You know how cranky he gets when one of his experiments don't go according to his plan. Don't you ever dare think that what you do is not important. And yeah you like to goof around a lot, but that's just the way you are and none of us would want you in any other way. You make everything so much more fun and interesting. And whenever were being cranky you always lift the mood. You smile a lot and make everything so much more brighter. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!"

Mikey's jaw was hanging loosely as the words kept swarming out of his brother's mouth and into his chest, making him feel warmer and warmer. He's never heard Leo talk so passionately about him and it just made his stomach flutter. A few seconds passed between the two as Mikey processed all the kind words.

"Thanks Leo!" he gave him the strongest hug he could muster. His eyes closed as he pressed himself against Leo's plastron squeezing the life out of his brother. "You're the best!"

The warmth forming inside Mikey's stomach rushed up and flushed his face. It didn't take long for it to transform into a nagging heat. The boy opened his eyes only to be greeted by a flame of hot fire dangling in front to his sweating face.

"Aghh!" He yelped and trusted himself back away from it but the back of his head quickly hit a tree trunk.

'It's a torch!' His dazed mind finally registered. He had just fallen asleep again and had another strange crossover dream …and now someone was waving a torch in front of his face.

His mind froze and his heart skipped a few beats. He tried to move away but his hands didn't budge. He was tied to a tree and completely vulnerable.

His eyes widened in terror.


	7. Chapter 7 : Familiar Voice

New chapter yay! Thanks for the reviews. They help me write so much faster ;D

Okay this chapter will have a random OC like most of you probably already figured out. It'll feel really unnecessary in this chapter but it's actually important for the story to follow the plot. But don't worry this story will have nothing to do with them. This is a Mikey tale and I intend to keep it that way.

Anyway let me know if you find any mistakes in the text and also let me know what you think of this chapter :D

* * *

Chapter 7 : Familiar Voice

* * *

"Aaghh!" Mikey screamed again fearing the flame is going to burn his face if it gets any closer. At that moment the torch moved away from his face to a baring distance. This however didn't calm the boy not one bit. His eyes were squeezed shut not wishing to see the mess he was in and he kept tugging the rope that was binding his arms and wrists to the tree. Unfortunately the rope didn't loosen one bit. Fear was growing in his chest with excruciating speed and he felt like he was drowning from the lack of air his lungs just couldn't seem to suck in.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before the clammy hands of Death come to take me away. But yer never going to get me you demonic creature!" A cracked voice came from the direction of the fire.

Mikey's heart froze for a moment. He couldn't comprehend what he just heard. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to see a scrawny old man with the torch in his hand crouching a few steps from him. His other hand held a rifle pointed at the small turtle. He wore old footed pajamas that were once red but faded into a pale pink tone. He also had a long messy gray beard hanging from his wrinkled face and a squint in his bulging left eye.

"What!?" Mikey breathed out after a moment of silence. "I wasn't gonna kill you. Do I look like a demon to you?!" His shaking voice came out louder than he intended. He was starting to panic more and more. He shouldn't have been so careless. He should never have been seen. The rifle was lifted closer to his head. "PleaseDon'tShootMe." Mikey yelped and leaned back as much as he could.

"Oh so yer not a demon… Then what are ya sonny?" The old man eyed him from head to toe. "Some kind of turtle man?" He tapped the boy's shell behind the shoulder with the end of his rifle. Before Mikey got the chance to swallow the spit that formed in his mouth and think of a way to answer, the old man already continued.

"I'm probably going coo-coo!" He slapped himself across the knee. "And I thought my nephew Vic from New York City was crazy. He called me once over a year ago how he saw Kung Fu Frogs." He laughed showing the lacking yellow teeth in his mouth.

' _He he…_ what a small world we live in…' Mikey thought to himself but was too scared to make the smallest sound.

 _"…_ _He likes to drink a little too much_." The man leaned closer to Mikey's face to finish his speech so no one else could hear him even though they were both obviously alone. Mikey could only hear the horribly loud snores still coming from the tent behind the man. The same loud snores as before he fell asleep by the fire. He was only glad _that_ didn't wake up to find him by the campfire or he'd probably be dead by now. Not that this was any better.

The old man leaned back as if in thought.

"…Now that I think about, I haven't heard from Vic since then. …He probably went into the loony house! AHAHAHA! He wouldn't be the first in this family." The man laughed again while subconsciously swinging around the torch and rifle.

Mikey didn't know if the man's strange personality was a good sign or a bad but before he could even think about it his mouth already acted on it's own.

"Are you like one of those insane old geezers that every village has to have?!"

"Who you callin' old!? You should have seen my grandmother. She'll be 108 this year!"

"Wow that is old!" Mikey gasped for a moment completely forgetting the dangerous situation he was in.

"Yup! We've already got an urn ready for her and it's been collecting dust for over ten years now."

"…" The boy didn't even know where to begin to respond to that. He just blinked at the insane man that held him captive. This person clearly had a few wheels missing in his head and Mikey wasn't sure if he should fear him more because of it or if this will just make it easier for him to escape.

"Ahahahaha!" The geezer laughed at Mikey's pale face. "I'm just messin' with ya, sonny."

"…Yeah… -Well anyway, why don't you just untie me and go back to sleep and I'll go my own way… and we can pretend this never happened." Mikey gave a forced smile and crossed his fingers. He seriously needs to get away from here.

"You think I can sleep listening to my son snoring!?"

"That's your son!?" Mikey gasped again. The _Thing_ he has been listening to is this scrawny geezer's son!?

"I thought it was like a bear or something! –I mean… I really need to be going soon. I have to find my-… umm… the squirrel family and bring them the good news about … uhh… Nuts! About the nuts. Yeah…"

"Nuts?..." The old man didn't seem convinced one bit. Mikey only mentally slapped himself for coming up with something so stupid. He was still tired, even though the whole hostage situation was keeping him awake, and his head wasn't functioning properly.

"Yes! I'm the …forest elf. I'm here to keep peace between the animals. So please let me go so I can do my job." _'Seriously Mikey? Forest elf!?'_

"Aren't you some kind of turtle creature?"

"Turtle elf! That's me."

"How do I know you won't try to kill me after I free you?"

"Dude, just look at me! Do I look like a killer to you? I'm super cute!"

"You are quite adorable for a turtle elf, I agree." The man nodded with his head in agreement. He looked at Mikey suspiciously for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well I guess I'll just trust my gut like always."

"So are you gonna untie me?"

"Sure." The man leaned back to throw the torch back onto the campfire and lied the rifle down beside himself before leaning forward to go untie the knots that kept Mikey pinned to the tree.

"Sweet!"

The ropes became loose quite fast and Mikey didn't wait a second to scramble out of them and skip a few feet away from the old man. He never expected to feel this good just for being able to move. But the sudden movement wasn't very pleasant for his still tired body. A few black dots swayed around in his vision and his balance was threatening to leave his dizzy head.

The old man grabbed the rifle for his own protection in the meantime but he never lifted it at the boy's direction when he noticed him struggling to keep himself on his feet.

"Are ya alright there, boy?"

"Never better." Mikey replied a little too fast for either's liking. His head cleared a bit and he could stand properly now.

"Hmm… why don't you keep me company at the fire for a while before you go to that nonexistent squirrel family? I'm sure they can wait a little longer on the news. Besides I don't think it's wise to walk in the forest alone at night this time a year. There's a lot of traps set in these parts." The man offered Mikey to get some rest by the fire.

Mikey could hardly believe what he was saying. Just a few seconds ago Mikey would have done anything to get as far away from here as possible. But his eyes got glued to the warm fire behind the old man. He wasn't sure anymore if he wanted to leave so soon.

The man noticed where the turtle was staring and quickly connected the dots. _Turtles are coldblooded._

"Sit down by the fire and I'll bring something to drink."

Before Mikey even responded the man turned around and headed towards the snore-filled tent hidden under the trees. He just stared at the figure disappear behind the tent in complete silence. His legs already made a step towards the warm fire when he quickly stopped.

'What am I doing? I need to get home.'

With sudden determination he ran towards the campfire, grabbed the wood that the man used as a torch and ran back the way he came from before anyone could see him leave. The torch should provide him enough warmth for now and when he gets far enough he'll make his own fire with it. He didn't have time to stay and hang out with some insane old hunter. It wasn't safe and it was certainly against their way of living. He just needed to find his brothers fast.

After what felt like running forever Mikey's muscles were as sore as after a fight with Razhar and Fishface. His legs trembled and screamed for him to lie down. Mikey was happy to oblige those thoughts and quickly lied down against a tree. He threw the torch onto the dry soil where he was sure the fire couldn't spread onto anything.

His exhausted chest heaved for breaths and his head throbbed for more rest. Mikey closed his eyes to gather a little energy but tried to stay focused and not fall asleep again.

His thoughts kept running back to his family. Where were Raph and Donnie?

And April and Casey?

…And Leo…

 _"_ _Mikey?"_

"What!?" Mikey's eyes snapped open at the sudden familiar sound in his ears. He jumped on his feet looking around to find the source of the voice. But the more he looked and thought about it the more he was sure he was just imagining it.

He tried to step back and go back to rest when his foot landed on something hot.

"Aaargh!" Mikey screamed at the top of his lungs, throwing himself on the ground away from the torch.

His foot had connected with the torch for only a second but it was enough to burn through the wrappings and burn his sole. He squeezed the burned foot between his hands hoping it would somehow reduce the pain. While his mind raced with thought about the pain he was sure he heard a voice calling his name again. But this time the tone sounded a lot more scared and panicked. But Mikey quickly dismissed it as his mind playing tricks on him and rather focused on his foot. It still stung but the worse was over now.

After a few still seconds he let go of the death grip and studied the burn. The skin was red and bubbly over the area. It even bled at some parts but it wasn't much. It looked much less horrible than it felt.

He took off the wrapping from his wrist that was much cleaner than the ones on his feet and wrapped it around the wound. It won't do much but it should at least prevent immediate infections.

'So much for walking normally…' Mikey thought as he turned around on his butt to grab the torch when he noticed what happened. When he had stepped onto it he must have accidentally kicked the soil over it and killed the flame. The embers were still glowing but it was only a matter of time before those died out as well.

'This couldn't be happening…'

It was still extremely cold and he didn't know how many hours there still were until the sun would rise. This small piece of amber couldn't in no way provide enough warmth until then.

Mikey hopelessly buried his face in his hands. He had tried to be strong but he felt like he had hit the bottom at least three times in the last few hours and everything's still been going downhill.

"Why? Why? Why? Why did I have to go into this stupid forest when everyone told me not to!?" He mumbled into his hands as he felt the tears staining them.

Everything was so unfair. He just wanted his brothers to find him and take him home. He wanted to go to sleep in his warm bed and not worry about waking up.

The cold air started wrapping itself around his shivering shoulders and tracing down his limbs like unwanted hands of a stranger. It made the boy feel that much more scared and alone. He clutched his legs between his arms, hiding his face and trying to make himself as small as possible. Maybe then he could somehow escape all of this.

The tears already stained his cheeks and were already trailing down the knees. His shoulders were shivering more from the sobs he tried so hard to suppress than the cold air that was creeping in from everywhere.

Then he heard it again.

 _"_ _Mikey? Is that you?"_

His head snapped up. It was so clear this time. So real. But it made no sense. It couldn't be him.

"Leo?"


	8. Chapter 8 : Searching

New chapter! Not much happens here but I thought it was better than to keep you waiting any longer. I started shool again so I'm slightly busy.

Just a quick note for those of you who might get confused. The parts where I write about Mikey are not happening at the same time as the parts where I write about the others. The others are at the moment a few hours behind but they'll catch up. ;)

Let me know what you think of the story so far. I've been dying for some good reviews packed with some constructive criticism. Come on guys. It shouldn't hurt to type a few thoughts. And for those of you who reviewed the last chapter: thank you!

* * *

Chapter 8 : Searching

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Raphael kicked the nearest tree from frustration just as Donnie's T-phone beeped. The tall brother looked at the bright screen and announced the time. It was already three in the morning and thus they have been searching for a little less than five hours. Yet they still haven't found a single trace of Mikey.

"You don't have to keep reminding me about the damn time Donnie! I know it's late!" Raph yelled. The anger and fear seeped from him like desert sand through a strainer.

"Whatever. You don't have to yell because of it." Donatello uttered back at his panicking brother as coldly as always. He didn't even bother to lift his gaze from the screen of the phone. He checked their location's coordinates. They've covered a lot of ground already and they were far into the woods by now.

Donnie was worried. He didn't show it as well as his hotheaded brother but he was. He was terrified of not knowing. He didn't know where Mikey was. He didn't know what state he's in. He didn't know if he's injured or not. He didn't even know if the little brother managed to stay awake this long in the cold weather. If his body went into hibernation who know what could happen. Another terrifying thought that crossed Don's speeding mind was that he and Raphael could have missed him. If Mikey was unconscious they may have passed him without knowing. They couldn't check every bush in the forest so they called out for their brother in hopes he'd respond back if he heard them. But how can he respond if he can't even hear them in the first place…

Donnie let out a shaking breath pushing away the unwanted 'what-ifs'. He instead searched the contacts list on his T-phone and clicked on an image of a known redhead before lifting the phone to his ear.

"I'm calling April. Maybe she and Casey had any more luck." He finally turned around to his brother.

"If they found anything they would have called already…" Raph muttered under his breath.

Donnie noticed him wipe his face with the back of his arm before crossing his arms and adopting the usual scowl. Don didn't give it a second thought because the next second he heard April answer from the other side of the line.

"Donnie! Oh my god! Did you find him!?" There was so much sudden hope in her voice Don had a hard time swallowing the sudden lump in his throat and answering. He felt like he would shatter April if he told her the real situation but there was no other thing to do.

"No,… April. …I'm calling because I wanted to ask if you two found anything. But from what you've asked I'm assuming you haven't." As he spoke he felt the freezing cold nibbling at his skin. And it wasn't until then that he noticed the numbness in his fingers.

"Yeah, no." April breathed out. "We're just headed back to the house."

"You're going back?"

"We've reached the road and I'm sure Mikey wouldn't have crossed it. Besides there's a town about five minutes further from the road so he'd probably go back anyway. I have a feeling he went west from the house so he should be more in your area. The woods edge from the house looks really beautiful in that direction so he probably walked into it there, like I've already said. That part of the forest is also pretty untouched and it easy to get lost." April explained quickly and Donnie could clearly hear the anxiousness bubbling from her throat. She was just as nervous as any of them.

"Are you two going to join then?" Donnie asked.

"We're going back for a quick rest to warm ourselves up a bit and also check on Leo. Then Casey was thinking of taking the van to the other side of the forest so we could search from the other direction."

Donnie mulled over his friends' plan. It was a good idea to search from the other side as well. It would increase the chances of finding Mikey. But he wasn't so sure that it was wise to focus only on this part of the woods. It's not like they knew Mikey was there. He could be anywhere. 'Again with the not knowing!' This was getting very old very fast. Just searching around blindly wasn't getting them anywhere but it was the only thing they could do. They couldn't think of anything else. Leo was usually the one with ideas. But Don was sure even he couldn't find a way around this problem. He'd probably do the same as April and just trust his gut. Which Donatello found completely irrational and would have something to say over it if it wasn't the only thing they could do at the moment. Who knows… they might get lucky. He laughed at the thought. If anything they've always been very unlucky.

"Don? Are you still there?" A voice interrupted the buzzing thoughts and brought Donnie back to the present. He didn't even realize he was standing in silence for almost a minute.

"Huh!? Oh… I just …spaced out I guess." He mumbled and rubbed his temples.

"Maybe you and Raph should take a break as well. You sound tired. Casey and I are frozen to the bone I can't even imagine how you two are still keeping up, you know…"

"We're fine, April."

"I mean it Donnie. We don't need you and Raph disappearing too."

"Okay…" Don breathed out and ignored the white cloud that formed in front of his face, "but don't wait for us. It'll take a while for us to get back." He tried to shake April off but she didn't buy his response.

"Oh we'll wait alright. You better hurry." April tried sounding as pleading as her pride would allow but at the same time she didn't let go of her demanding tone. She knew the two boys wouldn't want to stop searching for Mikey until they'd find the small turtle but they both needed rest. And their coldblooded bodies needed to warm up.

"Okay, April. We'll head back now. See you at the farmhouse." Donatello quickly answered not wishing to spend any more of the precious time on the phone.

"Do I have your word?"

"Yes, you have my word. We'll go back."

"Okay, see you then." April sounded slightly more relieved.

Donatello wanted to quickly end the call but as he pressed the end call button on the screen of his phone the small gadget didn't sense the touch of his cold fingers. He pressed harder a few times but none his numb digits were sensed. He waited for April to end the call instead before tucking the phone into a pocket in the trench coat. He ignored the obvious sign of his freezing body and mumbled something under his breath before looking up and seeing Raphael standing a few meters away from him. His face was grim and looked as if he was waiting for instructions from Don.

"Come on Raph. Let's continue searching." He breathed out not wanting to meet his brother's gaze as he spoke. It was obvious that Raphael heard the conversation, at least the parts Donnie spoke, so he knew he was lying to April.

Raphael watched Don move forward into the direction they were headed. It wasn't like Donnie to do things his own way, especially not when April asked him to do the opposite. He stared with narrowed eyes at his brother's hunched shivering form as if he could find out what was going through the tall teen's mind. After a while he, as well, let out a frustrated sigh before following behind.

"Alright. But April's gonna bust your shell."

He didn't get an answer.


	9. Chapter 9 : Mirage

I've been away for a while but I give you the longest chapter yet. :) School's just started and it's already been in my way of writing. Writing this fanfic takes quite some time so I'd like to know who's really interested in the story and if I should continue posting new chapters regularly. The story's already briefly planned out in my head so the only problem is the time it takes up to write it. Let me know.

Anyway, thank you to all those who followed and liked and especially to those who reviewed! :) Hope you like this chapter as well. It took the most time to complete it but I like how it turned out. I'm dying to know your thoughts on it. We finally return to Mikey.

* * *

Chapter 9 : Mirage

* * *

"Leo?"

Mikey's tired head buzzed with numerous thoughts all at once. But all of those questions and answers quickly converted into a single conclusion. _He's going insane!_ It was the only explanation his hazy and confused mind could come up with. Why else would he be hearing a voice calling to him in the middle of the forest at nighttime?

Mikey forced his exhausted body to push him up and looked around himself for a sign of anyone near him. There was nothing… There was no one with him so it couldn't have been real. And it wasn't even a haunting or creepy voice his scared mind could have made up after watching such an enormous number of horror movies in his life. It wasn't scary at all. The opposite actually. It was the voice of his brother. His battered brother that lied unconscious at the O'Neil's farmhouse. There was no possible way the voice could have really been spoken by Leo. No matter how tired or fuzzy Mikey's head was, he still knew it couldn't be true.

Yet some strange feeling, the small turtle couldn't quite place, still held to the unrealistic thought that the voice really was his brother's. Not a memory but real and spoken at the moment the freckled boy heard it.

It was a hopeless thought and Mikey quickly ripped and pushed himself away from it. Pain and dread washed over him as he did but he knew he shouldn't hold onto things that might grow and hurt him even more later on.

His head dropped and his mind quieted down. He forced himself to stop thinking of things that weren't important at the very moment. He needed to find a way to keep himself awake or even better, to warm himself up. The cold breeze that passed between the trees sent a shrill down the boy's freezing body. And at the same time it offered to take him into comfortable nothingness. With closed eyes his stance swayed forth and back rhythmically with his breathing. The idea of sleep was again becoming overwhelming.

His mind was completely quiet and was slowly being consumed by the cold dark unconsciousness as he heard it again. It was distant but near. Fading out but still coming at the same time…

 _"_ _Mikey…"_

His ears didn't pick up the sound. It was coming from somewhere in the back of his head and it scared away the numb darkness and forced his body awake. Mikey was fully alert. New thought started rushing in again. But before the place could overflow with them he heard the voice pleading.

 _"_ _Don't go away."_ It was almost drowned out by the loud ruckus that started swirling around in his mind. Mikey could hardly make out the words but when he did his heart stopped. The spoken tone was so desperate and uncertain it was hard to believe it belonged to the eldest brother. But Mikey knew it was him. It was Leo and no one else.

He didn't know or care why he was suddenly hearing Leo talking to him. He didn't even care how it was possible. He just wanted to hear him again.

Mikey forced himself to calm down which was hard despite the strong numbness in his whole body. Closing his eyes he focused on his breathing and nothing else. Eventually he managed to quiet down his thoughts enough that he should be able to hear the voice but there was no familiar sound anymore…

Mikey furrowed his brows in concentration and searched his dark mind for the voice of his lost brother. He didn't find anything but was too desperate to stop there. _'Leo. Where are you bro? Leo. Leo! …'_ Each of the calls became louder and louder until one crept onto the boy's tongue and he subconsciously spoke his brother's name.

"Leo."

 _"_ _Mikey!"_

Mikey heard the joyful voice and the sudden closeness of it frightened him. He snapped open his eyes and was met with a pair of deep blue ones staring back at him. The boy let out a high-pitched scream and jumped back a step but the vision of the ghostly eyes disappeared as fast as it appeared. He knotted his brows together again but this time from confusion. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

 _"_ _I can't believe it. You can hear me! Haha_!" Mikey has never before heard a laugh so full of relief and happiness, if he heard it at all…

 _"_ _I almost gave up but you answered me! You actually heard me! I thought it was no use."_

The small turtle looked around searching for his brother not even fully taking in what was happening or what he was hearing. But like in most cases in his life he stopped questioning things he knew he won't be answered and just played along.

"Leo, where- where are you…?"

 _"_ _I'm right here Mikey. I'm right in front of you. –You're looking right at me."_ The last words were spoken more unsurely and quiet than the first.

Michelangelo noticed some kind of bluish haze in front of his vision. It looked like a moving mouth that was synchronized with Leo's spoken words. It didn't disturb Mikey's view of the forest in the background and he could quickly overlook it but he focused his mind onto what now started looking like a silhouette of a bluish figure. As his eyes and mind adjusted to the possible mirage he recognized the features of his oldest brother. Leo's whole ghostly body was the same color as his familiar vivid blue eyes that were again staring down at Mikey. They were full of joy and anticipation at the moment but Mikey could see the hurt and sadness lurking behind them.

"I can see you." Mikey smiled back softly, knowing his brother wanted to hear him just as much as he wanted to hear his brother. He saw Leo's smile widen and he hardly held in the urge to throw himself into a warm hug that his dreams always provided. He knew he'd only grab at cold air if he'd try.

As his thoughts traveled to the air and the forest surroundings for just a second Leo already disappeared from his view. Mikey's heart panicked for a second before the big brother was back in his place. It was strange, the ghostly form was vanishing and appearing as fast as a blinking light. Leo's appearance was like water droplets on a glass window, Mikey thought. You don't notice them when you look through the window at the scenery but when you turn your attention onto them the background just blurs out and they become the focusing points.

 _"_ _Don't cry, Mike…"_

Mikey snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at the mirage of his brother. He didn't even notice the tears that escaped his tired and reddened eyes. A pair of concerned ones stared at him, the look was so familiar it made Mikey chuckle at the thought of all the times Leo's looked at him like that.

"I'm not crying. There's just something in my eyes." Mikey laughed as he rubbed his face free of the spilled tears. Leo's ghostly stance seemed to soften a bit as he heard the overused line.

Mikey tried to shift the weight from one leg to the other, completely forgetting why he hadn't done it before. As he pressed the weight on his freshly burned foot he instinctively screamed and kicked his leg up away from the ground. This resulted in him falling to the ground with a loud thump.

 _"_ _Mikey, what's wrong!? Are you okay!?"_ Leo cried out in panic and kneeled down in front of his little brother. Mikey was tightly grabbing at the injured foot trying to suppress the pain. He could see Leo wanting to lean in and take a look at the burn. But the boy hesitated just a few centimeters away from touching Mikey's arm. The sight of his own ghostly hands mocked him, reminding him how contact was surely impossible. Leo didn't even want to try it, knowing it would only hurt. So he rather left a fair distance between himself and Michelangelo not wishing to even know how futile an attempt of a simple touch of the other is.

Mikey could clearly see how much Leo wished to squeeze him close to himself. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. They both sat and stared at each other in silence both knowing what the other thought.

 _"_ _You should get Don to look at that. Is he anywhere near you?"_ Leo asked with a suddenly dry voice hoping to lift the sadness by talking.

"Does it look like he's near me?" Mikey asked thinking that Leo might connect the dots when seeing him in the middle of the night alone in the woods.

 _"_ _I don't know. I can't really see anything else but you."_ Leo looked away as if ashamed of it. _"It's kinda dark here, wherever I am…"_

"Oh…" Mikey breathed out. He hadn't even considered that maybe Leo saw him the same way he saw Leo.

He wanted to answer Leonardo about where he really was but he changed his mind in the last second not wishing to concern his brother when he clearly had enough to worry about. "I'm in my room. So Donnie's not here. I'll tell him later."

 _"_ _In your room? But the Kraang destroyed the lair, didn't they? Did you already fix it? How long have I been out? Did you manage to stop the invasion?"_ Leo thought back to the last things he remembered before everything went dark and quiet.

"Sorry, bro. No spoilers." Mike hurriedly brushed off the sudden wave of questions. "Don't worry, everything's fine." This topic was the last thing he wanted to discuss with his brother after 'seeing' him for the first time in weeks. He didn't want to crush him with the news of the Kraang or their father.

Without a warning Mikey's eyes fell closed and his head slumped for a second before he shook himself awake again. He blinked it off and offered his surprised blue brother a forced and tired smile.

Leo's eyes were wide but he quickly gathered himself. His eyes were overflowing with the uncharacteristic sadness.

 _"_ _You're not in your room are you Mikey?"_ Leo asked barely above a whisper. He was upset that Mikey was hiding something from him.

The short freckled turtle didn't know how to answer that. He didn't want Leo to know what was happening but he also didn't want to lie to him anymore than he already did.

 _"_ _Mikey where are the others? Are they okay!?"_ Leo's voice pitched up at the thought of his brothers being in danger.

"They're fine, Leo!" Mike protested the sudden 'leader' voice with an exaggerated exhale. "I just got… a little lost, that's all. Don't worry about it, dude. It's nothing."

Leonardo gave him the same sad look he did the first time he lied. He took a deep breath looking around them as if searching for a clue of what to do.

Mikey just recently found out Leo doesn't see the same surrounding as him, and if he didn't know it before he knew it then when he saw the pain in his brother's glazed eyes.

A few quiet seconds passed before Leo turned back to speak up again.

 _"_ _It tried to contact you guys for a long time."_ He started slowly and quietly, sounding completely unsure of what he was about to say.

 _"_ _I've been alone by myself just floating in some kind of empty space, some kind of darkness. There's nothing here, it's just dark and empty. Sometimes out of nowhere I can see light someplace far away. It's faint but it's there. I know it's my way out. But whenever I go towards it everything just starts to hurt and the darkness turns into some kind of thick tar that holds be back. I have no choice but to withdraw every time. It's hurts too much. So I just stay back in the dark, where I don't have to feel the pain. But I don't really feel anything. I'm-"_ He had to swallow before continuing. _"I'm scared, Mikey."_

Leo looked at Mike who was unsure of how to react to the mountain of words that were spread in front of him. Mikey just stared back at Leo with confused but sympathetic eyes. He'd never thought that his big brother could ever be scared at all. He was always the strong and brave one. The only time Mikey recalls him being afraid was when any of the other three was in trouble.

 _"_ _I hear whispers sometimes."_ Leo quietly continued after some time. _"I could never make out what they were saying. But I soon recognized them as thoughts from all of you. I tried to grab at them. I needed something to hold onto. But the whispers always cowered away and died out._

 _I tried to contact you guys so many times."_ Leo could hardly hold back the childish whines. _"But everyone seems so distant and I can't get through. I can understand everyone's sad but it's like the others don't even want me there –here… with you. Like it hurts them. None of them would let me contact anyone. I almost got through to Raph a couple of times but he always pushed me away as if I scared him."_

Mikey watched Leo spill his feelings that were suppressed all this time, up until now. It felt like watching his brother bleed out and have no power to help stop the bleeding they all caused. Mikey knew the way Raph, Donnie, April and Casey pushed away their feelings was horrible, but now that he knew how it affected his brother he wished he could have done more in the past to stop it. He didn't want Leo to feel unwanted. But they all pushed him away so much that it caused just that. Leonardo needed his family to help him push forward and pass the pain of his injuries. He for once needed someone to lead him but none of them even helped.

Before Mikey could get his mouth to work to tell his brother that he was wrong and that they wanted him back more than anything, Leo already changed his tone of speaking.

 _"_ _You on the other hand, hah!"_ He smiled lightly. _"You were too distracted by everything to even notice me, your mind always full of swirling thoughts. Always all over the place. I guess the cold holds you down, huh? You're not that jumpy anymore."_

Mikey wanted to deny that he was cold but held his tongue and rather smiled at what Leo said about him.

"Ah you know me, bro. I can't hold still for more than two seconds." He laughed but soon adapted a firm face. "And never think that we don't want you. Your absence struck us hard. We're all just a little lost and no one really knows how to deal with your coma. We were all scared you won't ever wake up…"

Leo looked away at the last part. Mikey silently cursed himself for saying it. He didn't want Leo to take it like he probably will. The oldest brother had a habit of taking the blame for every little thing and this time wasn't going to be any different. But Mikey didn't want Leo to feel guilty and push himself. His bro just explained it still hurt too much to gain consciousness so it was clear his body needed more time to heal. Pushing his limits in such a delicate state was out of the question.

Leo blinked away the hurt and showed the irrational determination Mikey learned to despise over the year.

 _"_ _I'll wake up. I promise. I'll figure it out. I'll hurry up and wake up, I promise. I promise."_

"You don't have to promise anything, dude. I know you'll come back, you are freaking Leonardo! You're unstoppable! I don't need to hear you say those two words to know you'll come back. Look what you're doing right now, you're in a coma but you're still here talking to me. How awesome is that!?" Mikey determinedly replied but still kept his usual cheerfulness.

 _"_ _I'll still try to do it fast. I'll heal faster. I don't want you all to suffer because of me…"_ Leonardo ignored what Mikey was trying to tell him.

Mike could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear. He didn't want Leo to stress his already broken body. It needed time to heal properly. And no one can just force himself to heal faster. That's impossible.

"Shut up, Leo! Just shut up! Don't force yourself to do anything because of us! You're the one who's suffering, not us! You've been completely alone and scared, surrounded by bad vibes from us for over three weeks while we've been sulking and feeling sorry for ourselves. Don't come back because we're a bunch of crying idiots. I mean, yeah, come back because of us too but not because were crying. But because were family. And do it when you're ready. Don't push yourself, okay? Decide when you'll be able to push through the pain."

Mikey's sudden outburst struck Leo right in the chest. It wasn't like Mikey to shout back, maybe when he was picked on or ignored but not in a conversation. But rather than take in what Mike was trying to tell him, he held onto just one thing he said.

 _"_ _I've been unconscious for three weeks…?"_

"Are you even listening to me!?" Mikey yelled. Why was it so hard to get something through Leo's thick head when he decides to go on a trip to guilt town?

Mike inhaled a deep breath which painfully settled down in his irritated, freezing lungs. He coughed and shuddered. His head hurt and he swayed a bit, trying to regain his balance. He squeezed his eyes shut and had to grab his head with one hand to hold still. _How could a simple yell take away so much of his energy?_

 _"_ _Are you o-"_

Mikey cut Leo off without even looking up. "DON'T change the subject." Mikey breathed out, still grabbing at his throbbing head. The cold air's hands wrapped around his torso and started pushing the small turtle down, forcing him to the ground but Mikey fought back and sat in place.

 _"_ _I'm no-"_ Leo tried to argue but was cut off again.

"Don't deny it either."

 _"_ _Fine…"_ Leo exhaled, slightly annoyed by the sudden rigidness in his little brother. _"Then what do you want me to do…?"_

"Promise." Mikey slurred out and looked up at the other. His eyes reflected seriousness Leo has never seen before on Mike.

 _"_ _What?"_

"Promise you'll do what I asked, that you won't push yourself." Mikey kept his face firm and serious but he felt like passing out from exhaustion. Still he needed to her Leo say it. He knew Leo kept a promise no matter what. Leo's ghostly form blurred out of Mikey's vision for a couple of times and he had to blink each time to see him again.

 _"_ _Mikey, you're shivering."_

"Why don't you just promise!?" The little turtle cried out in frustration, his head pounding even harder. He already knew he was shivering, he didn't need someone to remind him of it. Plus Leo was avoiding a serious problem.

 _"_ _Because I don't want to! I want to help you."_

"You can't help me because you're a freaking g-g-g-host!" Mike's teeth chattered but he kept a strong look. "Even if you wake up right now, what are you gonna do? Huh?" He snapped.

Leo looked at Mikey, not knowing what to make out of the conversation. Mikey obviously had a point Leo tried so hard to ignore. He hated being alone but his bro was right, it wasn't the right time to wake up. His body needed to heal more before he could regain consciousness. He wouldn't stop trying, that's for sure, but he won't try to force himself through the pain that was obviously too much. And if it was already this painful before he even descended back into the world of the living he couldn't even imagine what the pain would be like in his battered body.

But Leo's main concern at the moment was the condition of his baby brother. He was already lying down unwillingly and was shivering and sweating uncontrollably. His body was obviously suffering from hypothermia. Leo couldn't see where Mikey was but he could see the white clouds of cold breath whenever he exhaled deeply. He was sure Mike was going to pass out any second. And he couldn't do anything to help. He couldn't even touch him. The only thing he could do at the moment is give his brother the promise he wanted to hear so desperately.

"Okay Mike, here's the deal. I promise I'll come back when it's time but only if you promise you'll be there when I do. Deal?"

"Deal." Mikey smiled eyeing Leo with his glossy eyes. He already looked half asleep and it was only a matter of time before it would really happen.

Mikey started losing the vision of his older brother. It flickered like a weak candle flame. Mikey looked at the sky and finally noticed it was slowly getting lighter. He could hear the birds starting to chirp somewhere in the distance. The misty light that was creeping in through the tree tops was slowly canceling out the glowing mirage of his oldest brother.

 _"_ _And don't you dare show up here wherever I am."_ Leo threatened in his concerned mother hen voice.

"Wouldn't even dream about it bro." Mikey slurred out as his head already rested peacefully on the ground. His eyes fell closed for a second but as he opened them Leo was already gone. He was again alone in the freezing woods. He tried to focus his eyes but his vision was too blurred to make out anything. He also couldn't pick up any kind of voice except the loud chirping of waking up birds. Mikey's eyes fluttered back shut after a moment as he gave into the desire of sleep. The sun was going to come up soon so the worse was behind him.

He thought back at Leo but before he could even ask himself if what he saw was even real his mind already dozed off into nothingness.


	10. Chapter 10 : Lead

Wow! Thank you for all the kind reviews in the last chapter. :) I'm glad you liked it. Some of you thought that Leo would be the one to guide or soothe Mikey not the other way around. I'm glad I surprised you. ;D Anyway we have to return to the others as well. Let's see what they're up to…

As always enjoy the chapter and leave a review. Those always make me smile.

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Chapter 10 : Lead

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"Casey this is insane! None of them are answering. It's been already two hours since we've heard from Donnie." April lowered her phone from her ear when the line disconnected on its own for already the 20th time in the last hour.

She and Casey had been waiting in the warm house and occasionally checking up on Leo for about an hour when April started to believe Donatello and Raphael ditched them and continued the search without the needed rest. She wasn't angry like her appearance lead on. She knew the turtles long enough to know they would do anything for each other. A simple cold would never stop any of the brothers from reuniting with their sibling. The redhead was being extremely worried more than anything else. She knew the risk of staying in the freezing cold for too long. She clearly remembered Donnie frustrating about the same thing just before they split up in search for Mikey. He pointed out to everyone that the longer Mikey stays exposed to the coldness the more chance there is he might pass out from it and go into a state similar to hibernation. April was shocked to hear that. She's been so used to the boys' looks she didn't even think that their bodies would react to changes differently than a human. It made the situation that more serious.

When April called Don for the first time after a long hour at the farmhouse she felt her heartbeats picking up speed with each empty ring. She carefully listened to every beeping sound muttering and hoping to hear an answer. _'Come on. Come on.'_ But after a long while no one picked up and the line canceled on its own. This happened each time she tried calling any of the two turtles. Casey tried too but after a few disappointing tries gave up while April desperately rung call after call.

"Look Red, maybe their phone batteries just died. That's always an option… Right now let's just focus on our part of the mission. " Casey tried to calm April down just enough to get her to breathe normally. He closed the van door after stepping inside and waited for April to crawl into the passenger seat next to him. They've been getting ready to drive off to the other side of the woods where they could continue the search. It was a hundred per cent more productive than sitting on their asses waiting for Don and Raph to return against all odds.

They packed an extra flashlight just in case, two warm blankets and a bunch of heat packs April magically found in one of the drawers. They wanted to be well prepared for the worst and they could even use the heat packs for themselves if needed. They stuffed all the needed things into two small backpacks.

"If their batteries died the calls wouldn't even connect in the first place." April scowled at the other teen as she sat on the seat and slammed the door shut behind her. Her gaze was piercing and if it was possible Casey was sure steam would be coming out of her ears.

"Hey woah, calm down." Casey leaned away from her threatening look. "I'm just as worried as you but there nothing we can do about that. I'm sure the guys know how to take care of themselves. Let's just start searching for Mike, okay. It's already five in the morning. The day's gonna start in a few hours."

"Yeah… Sorry, I'm just…" She could even find a word to describe the swirl of emotions that's making her stomach turn and her head hurt. She leaned her head back into the seat and gave an exaggerated exhale trying to calm herself down.

"Yeah… You're not alone." Casey spoke, understanding her without the need of words.

He turned the key behind the steering wheel and woke up the old engine. It chocked a few times before it started running properly and Casey slowly lead it on the cart track that lead from the farmhouse property to the road. They rode in silence for about a minute before Casey broke it with a cuss.

"Crap!"

"What?" April jumped in her seat. She looked at the other unsure of what to expect.

"The tank's almost empty. We need to stop at a gas station but we'll have to turn around to get to it."

April exhaled. She already thought things couldn't get any worse. This is going to take away precious time. They already stayed at the farm for too long. She gave another sigh as Casey started slowing down so he could turn around. That's when she remembered a small gas station not far from where they were. She drove past it with her dad a couple of times when she was younger. It was well hidden between the trees and hard to spot when driving past it.

"Don't turn! There should be small station on the way. We can stop there. We just need to keep our eyes peeled, it's hard to notice."

"Sound's good." Casey stepped on the gas pedal again and speed the van through the thick forest. He drove above the limit but slow enough to keep an eye out for a station. After ten long suffocating minutes April spotted the small construction.

"There!" She pointed out like a small excited child. Casey only stole a glance at where she pointed before forcefully turning and driving the van off the road and onto the station.

'Small' was the right word April used to describe the old building and the two fuel dispensers it had. It was amazing that the station hasn't been closed up yet. Who would even stop somewhere like this.

Casey and April were both surprised to see a truck parked by the other dispenser this late at night- …early in the morning. Who would even be here at this time?

The two teens jumped out of their seats and wasted no time.

"You fill the tank. I'll go pay up." April said grabbing her dad's wallet out of the glove compartment before dashing into the store.

Casey didn't need to hear her say it twice. He already opened the door to the gas tank, unscrewed the cap and grabbed at the old gas nozzle beside him.

April skipped into the tiny store to find the small place crowded with three more men. A middle age cash register that was leaning on the counter with his arm and sleepily watched the other two, probably hunters, bicker about rifles and ammo. The two stood in front of the cashier clearly upset about something. One was a tall large man with broad shoulders and giant meaty arms and hair growing from everywhere. He looked like a stereotypical lumberjack while the other old man looked like a stereotypical gold miner. Skinny old frame with a wrinkly face and a long white beard hanging from it.

They stood facing each other and arguing about something April didn't even bother to listen to. She grabbed a bag of pizza flavored bread rolls and a bottle of water from one of the shelves on the way to the cash-register. She first waited in line behind the two but soon realized they were far from buying anything. She squeezed herself between them and tossed the bag of bread rolls onto the counter which brought the cashier from his half sleeping state. He looked at April as if he hadn't noticed her walk into the store a few second prior.

"Oh, hello." The man straightened himself up behind the counter as April settled down the bottle next to the bag. "What're you doing at a gas station this late at night, kiddo?" He asked as he picked up the bag of bread rolls to charge. He didn't even have a scanner and simply typed the numbers into the cash-register.

"Just driving through with a friend." April shrugged off the question. She would be more polite if she weren't in such a hurry. She tapped her fingers on the counter and tried to block out the two grumbling men behind her.

"Hmm…" The cashier hummed as he typed in the water price before lifting his head at her. "Is that all?"

"Gas too."

"Oh, of course! 'Scuse me. I've been listening to these two argue about rifle ammo and green fairies for already ten minutes." He explained as he grabbed a credit card April offered.

"No biggie." April dismissed it without a thought as she waited to punch in the card numbers.

"It was an elf, Francis!" the old wrinkly geezer yelled over April and at the cashier.

"I thought you said it was a turtle, dad?" The large man interrupted the cashier who already opened his mouth to say something. The large man's deep voice sounded very annoyed and tired. April wasn't paying attention and purposely blocked out their loud voices.

"It was a turtle elf!"

"Whatever that green monster was it wasn't real! You're just making an excuse for losing the ammo!"

"I didn't lose it and I'm not making anything up! I just realized we didn't have any while you were snoring in that tent like a giant pig!"

"Why you-"

The cashier finally gave April the bill and the small girl quickly grabbed the items from the counter and squeezed herself between the yelling pair. She sighed in relief as she walked outside the cramped store. The air inside was suffocating.

Casey was already waiting in the van ready to drive off. She opened the side door and climbed in. She dumped the bag and bottle onto the floor between her legs before closing the door.

"What took you so long, Red?" Casey asked as he already switched the gear and started to drive off.

"Some weirdos were talking about a green monster in the woods or something like that…" April answered her mind still full of worry for her friends. Casey suddenly stepped on the break which caused both of then to fall forward.

"What are you doing!?" April yelled at Casey as he looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Green monster…" Casey repeated her words waiting for her to realize on her own. April's eyes widened as she realized what bothered the other. _Green monster… Turtle fairies…_ How is it possible she overlooked something so obvious!

Without a need to say anything both of the teens jumped out the van and ran back into the store. The left the van doors open and the engine running. April stepped to the old bearded man and grabbed him by the shoulder without any thought of personal boundaries.

"You saw a _turtle fairy_ in the woods? _Where exactly?"_ She tried not to sound demanding. She wasn't about to slow down now that she found the first lead since the beginning of the search. If the two were talking about Mikey –who they surely were- they might know where to find him. Or at least they can tell where they saw him last.

All three of the men were quiet and looked at the small redhead and the young boy who stood behind her. The old geezer looked April up and down with narrowed eyes as if deciding what to think of her.

"It was a turtle elf. And what are ya? Some kind a nosy reporter?" He questioned at the end.

"Uhm, no…" April answered unsure of what to make out from that.

"Then what'd ya care?"

April didn't know how to reply. She couldn't tell they're looking for their lost baby brother who also happens to be a mutant turtle. To her surprise Casey pushed past her and started speaking instead of her.

"We're looking for a friend who got lost. We had a party back at the house and got a lil drunk and the guy just straight out walked into the forest. We've been looking for him ever since. He's wearing this stupid turtle costume that we found in the basement earlier in the night." He explained no lie detected in his voice. April was speechless. Casey really knew how to act if he wanted to.

The old gold miner suspiciously looked at him as if contemplating his words. "Aren't you-" He started to speak but was cut off by the giant lumberjack.

"Why don't you contact your parents or the authority?"

"Yeah I rather stay alive, thank you." Casey deadpanned as if telling their currently made up parents was a death sentence. The man hummed in thought then spoke up again.

"Whatever you decide kid."

"So where'd you seen him?" April asked again as impatient as ever. She didn't want to waste any more time. The old geezer decided it was his time to speak again.

"We camped south from Plain Thicket near the river. The _turtle_ came around an hour ago from the east and then disappeared in the direction of Buck Peak. But I'm sure he couldn't have gotten far."

Casey looked at the man like he was talking in another language. The weird names told him nothing. April on the other hand listened carefully. Her face brightened up. She knew the names of those hills. She hiked in those parts a few times with her family. But the best part was that that was the exact part of the forest Raph and Don had headed in. They could find Mikey faster now.

"Thank you so much!" April beamed and grabbed a very confused Casey's arm. She dragged him down to the store's entrance and disappeared without a trace. She didn't bother to care what the men would think about all of that.

They both ran back to the van and closed the doors behind them when April laughed with joy.

"This is amazing Case!" She exclaimed and fist pumped. "The guys are at the right part of the forest. This just increased our chances for like one hundred per cent!"

"That's great Red! Thank god at least one of us knows what the guy was talking about. I kinda got lost when he said they camped near a plane ticket…"

" _Plain Thicket_ " April rolled her eyes, "is a small hill not that far from here. It would take us some time to get there on foot but if Donnie and Raph are where I hope they are than they could get there really fast." April explained hurriedly.

"If only we could get the guys to answer their phones…" Casey breathed out which caused Aprils smile to disappear.

She leaned back in the seat. She was so excited to find out Mikey's whereabouts and that the little guy was still awake she completely forgot about the unanswered calls. Uneasiness settled down in her stomach. She couldn't help but think that something might have happened to the other two brothers.

"I guess we try to find Mikey on our own." April mumbled.

Casey nodded and grabbed the steering wheel.

"So where to?"

"The same way as before…" April looked through the side window and Casey drove the van back onto the road. The boy noticed his friend fidgeting with her phone. The ride was quiet like before but now the silence was suffocating. Casey inhaled a lungful of air as if he forgot to breathe. He looked at April's messy bangs falling onto her face. The eyes beneath them were tired and worried and there was also clear fear hidden behind them. She stared at the T-phone in her hands turning the screen on and off.

"It can't hurt to try and call again, you know. They might even answer, who knows."

April stopped fidgeting for a moment. She knew Casey was just trying to lift the mood like always but she couldn't help but feel miserable. She'd give anything to just know _why_ Donnie and Raph weren't answering.

"Sure, Casey…" She smiled softly at the other teen and lit the phone screen again. She searched her contacts for the purple masked turtle and pressed the call button. She brought the phone to her ear.

She breathed out a deep sigh as she heard the first ring.


	11. Chapter 11 : On Their Way

Hey guys! It's been a long while since the last chapter which I apologize.

Now returning to the story: we finally come back to Raphael and Donatello, let's see what they're up to…

As always: let me know what you think of this chapter or the story overall. Thoughts and reviews feed an author's soul.

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Chapter 11 : On Their Way

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Donatello and Raphael had searched the woods and had found a small path in the in the tall, dry grass. Donnie explained that the trail was probably a frequent route for wild deer, and that because of its resemblance to a manmade path there's a greater chance that Michelangelo stuck to it rather than unbeaten ground.

Raph groaned as Donnie went into a deep discussion with himself about deer and other wildlife habits, but the hothead didn't complain. They've both been pretty unfocused and slow for the last two hours. The cold was already nibbling on their bones, and Raphael wasn't sure anymore if he still felt all his toes. –He knew Donnie couldn't, the tall turtle's head slumped too many times. Raph had to physically shake him every time to keep him awake and focused.

 _Why couldn't they have just followed April's advice and returned to the house?_

 _'_ _April'_ Raph thought. –their sister and Casey had been calling them for hours already. Raph knew they were probably freaking out wherever they were. Both, he and Donnie, would gladly answer the calls and tell them they're alright, but the problem was their coldblooded bodies were already so cold that the touchscreen on their phones couldn't detect their touch anymore.

Raph was brought out of his thoughts as Donnie swayed a little too far to the side.

"Common, Brainiac, I think I see a kind of opening over there," Raph pointed with his numb finger through the thick branches and twigs. There seemed to be a tiny meadow further down. Raph didn't see it clearly but the grass there looked a few shades lighter, as if the first early morning light could reach it.

Donnie looked at the direction, squeezing his eyes to see better, –because the flashlight in his hand _totally_ couldn't help at all.

"We should stay on this deer track, I think its resemblance to a path would surely convince Mikey to stay on it." Donnie tiredly swayed on his feet.

"Well _I_ think Mikey would rather be near an opening because it's lighter and the kid hates being in the dark alone." Raph deadpanned and crossed his arms, just to show how stubborn he was.

Donnie blinked a couple of times as if weighting the two options thoughtfully. His gaze slowly lowered from his brother to the path, where he stood.

"But the deer path"-

"God!" Raph grabbed Donnie's trench coat sleeve, and yanked him towards the opening, "Mikey isn't a damn deer." He walked through the thick layers of twigs and dry leaves as his younger brother stumbled behind him like a newborn elephant. The flashlight in his hands flashed all around except the way they were headed. It wasn't long before Raphael had enough and snatched the light from his brother's grasp, and held it in front of them. Donnie seemed too dazed to even notice.

After a couple of minutes, and a few new scratches from branches, the two boys came upon the small grassy opening. The open sky above them was becoming lighter, and the birds started announcing the beginning of a new day. But the only thing the two noticed was a dead campfire in the middle of the opening.

Smoke still ascended from the blackened wood, and the ashy pile radiated a welcoming warmness that had both freezing turtles stumbling forward. Raph kneeled in front of the embers and dragged Donnie down next to him. Their freezing hands reached forward as they tried to suck in all the warmness it still held.

Raph couldn't help but close his eyes and smile at the _treasure_ they came across.

"This fire must have gone out recently…" Donnie mumbled next to him after a quiet moment.

Raph's eyes snapped open and looked at his tall brother. Donatello's head stayed directed far to the right, where Raph noticed a small camouflaged tent under the trees. His breath got stuck in his throat as he grabbed Donnie's shell protectively. They both sat watching the tent in silence, waiting for something to happen, someone to come running through it.

After almost a minute Raph let go of Donnie's shell. He lifted himself up, his gaze staying on the tent.

"Wait here." He ordered Donatello, who nodded and stayed put but his eyes followed Raphael.

Raph slowly walked over to the tent. He looked around at all the hunting equipment, carefully, and then crouched down before the tent. Hesitatively he reached forward and zipped down its zipper.

He let out a relieved sigh when he saw the tent deserted.

"There's no one here."

"Are you sure? –This is very _skeptical_." Donnie narrowed his eyes while looking around.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Raph grumbled.

Before returning to the warmness of the dead fireplace, he snuck into the tent and pulled out a thick and soft blanket. With the warm object in his hands he headed over to his brother, and plopped down next to him cross legged.

Without making any kind of warning, he pulled Donnie's feet into his lap and gently wrapped them up in the warm blanket. He scooted closer to the embers with the large feet grasped between his arms.

Raph avoided his brother's gaze, this kind of gesture was against his _macho policy_ and he knew Donnie was offering him a wacky thankful smile in return. He noticed the flashlight beside him was still flashing and reached to down to turn it off.

The sky was becoming whiter by the minute, and it only kept reminding Raph how much time has already passed. His stomach turned as another thought of his baby brother crossed his mind. He squeezed Donnie's feet closer to his plastron, protectively.

"We'll warm ourselves a little, then we're back to searching."

"Agreed." Donnie slurred and nodded, and Raph couldn't help but look at him. He looked pale and exhausted, he shook slightly in the thin trench coat, but his features still held a soft smile Raph couldn't help but return.

Minutes ticked by as they stayed by the embers, none of them wishing to leave the warmness. Donnie's head slumped a couple of times and Raph made sure to shake him every time. He wondered if Mikey was able to shake himself awake unlike Donnie…

The sky was already a bright white when Donatello's T-phone suddenly started ringing. It startled Raph but his shoulders slumped when he realized what it was. The tall turtle watched the small phone under his belt for a few seconds before reaching down to answer.

"Why do you bother, Donnie? It's pointless…" Raph muttered and hugged the large, wrapped feet in his lap. This whole rescue had been out of hand from the whole beginning. They were disconnected from each other, didn't know where they were, and where to search for their lost brother.

"Hi April."

Raphael's head snapped up so fast it was a miracle he didn't break his neck. His eyes were wide as he saw his brother on the phone. _How did he answer?_ Their hands must have warmed up just enough for the touchscreen to sense them.

"Donnie! Where are you guys?! Why didn't you answer?! I've been freaking out for hours!" Raph could hear April's voice screaming into Donnie's ear, but the tall boy didn't seem to notice the hysteria, and kept his tired, blank expression.

"We're sitting by a fire but it's out"-

"Give me that!" Raph snatched the phone from Donnie who didn't complain. "April!"

" _What fire?_ –Raph? What's going on? What's with Donnie? He sounds off."

"Yeah, Don's not himself right now."

"Is he okay?"

"He was never really tolerant of cold weather. But he's _kinda_ okay."

"Thank god. I thought something bad happened to you two. Why didn't you answer our calls?"

"The touchscreens didn't sense our fingers anymore. Being coldblooded can be a real thorn in the side."

"Oh god… Are you alright now?" April asked worriedly as always.

"Better than before. We found a small campfire and tent with no one around. The fire was out but it was still warm enough we could warm ourselves up a bit"-

"You're by an empty tent? Where?"

"I have no idea. –Somewhere west from the farm."

"Is the tent like –like for a hunter or something?"

"Uhm… yeah, I think so?" Raph looked over at the tent to see all the hunting and camping equipment again.

"Does it maybe have like… like an old geezer smell?"

"What the hell?" Raph's face twisted in disgust and confusion.

"Forget it, Raph," April muttered. "I think I know where you are. Were headed there with Casey but we still have a good hour 'till we reach it."

"Why are you headed here?"

"We met the huntsmen who own the tent. One of them saw Mikey less than two hours ago and he said he wandered towards Buck Peak. He shouldn't be too far."

"They saw Mikey? –Wait! –He's still awake!?" Raph shoot out which startled Donnie. Mikey was still wandering around! This was more than a relief.

"Hopefully. Listen, Raph, you and Donnie have to go northwest from where you are, towards Buck Peak, a large hill. The old man told us Mikey wandered in that direction, it's the only lead we have."

"April, I have no idea in what direction northwest is!" Raph panicked.

"I can't help you with that! …Ask Donnie! He should know." April suggested, mirroring Raph's sudden panic.

"Okay… okay… I'll figure something out. I'll call you later, April."

"Please do."

"See ya."

"Yeah, see you." April's voice sounded unsure, but Raph didn't feel the urge to _soothe_ her at the moment.

He canceled the call and turned to Donnie, who's been staring at him and listening to the whole conversation. His face looked a lot more focused than before. His expression was stern but held the hope April brought back.

"Okay, little bro. I have to count on you to figure out the way."

"Northwest's that way." Donnie pointed across from them.

"You sure, Brainiac? That was pretty fast, even for you." Raph questioned, knowing how unfocused his brother had been for hours.

"Positive." He said seriously.

Raphael nodded, "I trust you."

He lifted Donnie's feet off his lap and pulled off the blanket. They both wobbled back to their feet and Raph threw the blanket over Donnie's head. "Wrap yourself before we reach Mikey." He helped Donnie tuck it around his shoulders but then quickly stepped back when he caught himself in the act.

"Now let's hurry," he turned at the direction Donnie pointed before. "If we're lucky, he's close."

"We'll find him, Raph." Donatello clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder, reassuringly. Raph looked up to see new confidence and seriousness that overwhelmed all the exhaustion that had kept Donnie down for hours.

Raph returned the same look, new confidence overflowing him as well. They knew where to search, and the light of day will help them find Mikey even faster. _Everything was going to turn out fine._


	12. Chapter 12 : Getting There

Hey, I'm back! I've been away for so long because of school stuff that I had a hard time getting back into the story. This chapter is short and probably a downgrade from the previous chapters. I needed this one to get back into the storytelling tempo. Next one will hopefully be better and more interesting for all of us. This one has closer to nothing going on. It shouldn't even be considered a chapter, really. But I just wanted to let you all (who are magically still with the story) know that I'm back.

Also It's probably better to at least skim the previous chapter before this one. I don't think you'll really remember what happened so far after such a long time! XD

* * *

Chapter 12 Getting There

* * *

Raphael rushed and pushed through the thick walls of branches as his eyes searched around, desperately looking for any kind of track or trail or footprints …or any kind of sign that Mikey had gone this way. Donatello managed to keep up with his brother despite the tangled mess his feet had become and despite how many branches decided to claw at the warm blanket wrapped around his torso. His eyelids felt heavy but the same stubbornness that possessed his older brother also prevented them from falling closed and pulling him into sleep his body longed for.

They moved from the campfire in the direction of northwest as April explained over the cellphone. In the last five minutes the light of an early morning already lit up the sky. The forest no longer looked frightening, dead and dark but the rays only kept reminding the two how much time has already passed.

Another branch decided to grab Donnie's blanket and stop his clumsy dash just as he heard Raph cry out.

"There!"

Donnie pulled away from the twigs and stumbled to Raph's side. The hotheaded turtle heaved heavily as he came to a stop before a small _or rather big_ dent in the mossy ground. Donnie didn't need to look twice to recognize the round footprint of their little brother.

"We're on the right track! Comon!" Raph ran forward where the footprint was directed before he even caught his breath and before Donnie even came to a full stop.

Donnie was again right at his tail. "We have to keep a sharp eye out for Mikey. He could be close by."

Raph nodded without looking back at his brother. He listened if his tall brother kept up while searching for the smallest one of them. He looked around for more footprints and to his relief he spotted the indents every few feet. What bothered him was how far apart the footprints were and the roughness of their layout every now and then, almost like the little turtle was running from something.

Raph shook his head free of any new fears and panic forming at the back of his mind. They already ate away most of his stomach in the last hours. He doesn't need to worry more. They should be running into Michelangelo any moment now.

"Mikey!" He shouted as he lost the trail. A quick pause in case he'd get a reply then back to tracking. He looked around for different signs such as broken branches or anything familiar. _Nothing._ "Damnit."

"Wait up, Raph." Donnie grabbed the collar of Raphael's stretched jacket before his brother could run off again. "We have to be reasonable and shouldn't dash into random directions."

" _And_ what are you suggesting?" Raph muttered, turning around to face Don. "We've been walking around in random directions since the start."

… "Maybe there's a deer track somewhere…" Donnie looked around after a thoughtful moment.

"I swear to god, Donnie!" Raph was too close to punching Donnie's delusional face. Don's been blabbing about deer tracks for long enough already.

"I'm joking." Donnie ducked his head before Raph even made a move. He sheepishly smiled at the grumpy turtle and readjusted the blanket around his shoulders. "Let's back up to the last footprint and see where that takes us. Hm?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Raphael followed Donatello back a few feet until they reached the last clear imprint.

"So what now?" He grumbled and crossed his arms. He looked around at the forest that was starting to slowly awake in the first morning sunbeams. Birds have been singing loudly for the last twenty minutes already and it didn't help Raph calm down one bit.

"Well Mikey's steps are headed that way, this much we know. But the trees split that direction into three possible routes he could have taken." Donnie pointed ahead at the three openings between the thick growth of trees and bushes. "Best thing to do is split up and try to find Mikey or his track." He explained, his sentences gaining speed to almost normal. He was slowly waking up together with the new day. The blanket, still warm from the fire, helped warm up his body just enough.

"What about the third route?"

"Let's just hope one of us will pick the right one. If not, we can always come back and check out the last one. –I'll go in the middle. I suggest you take the one on the right. Left one looks less likely"-

"Whatever you say, let's just go." Raph pushed past his brother and in the direction Donnie suggested. He never liked standing around and discussing matters, he needed to act. It was the only way he felt useful. Donnie shook his head at Raph's aggressive attitude but didn't say anything. Besides he was already used to it from the start.

They split up, each searching for Mikey's footprints. Raphael rummaged through the low growth, kicking away dry grass and branches, looking for anything resembling an indent.

He thought he'd been searching forever when he heard Donatello scream to his left.

"Donnie!?" Raph called for his brother as he ran to his aid. He broke through the bushes as a living tank, stomping and breaking everything that got in his way.

He found Donnie getting back up from the ground and shaking slightly.

"What happened?!"

"I thought I was going to wet myself! A bear trap went off right in front of me!" Donnie wailed out like an annoyed brat. No-one could blame him. It seemed everything that could go wrong for them did.

"What?!" Raph's voice cracked in a way he'd never admit. He eyes widened at the sight of the deathly trap before them.

A huge bear trap was clamped together on the ground, partly hidden by the undergrowth. An injury caused by it is fatal for an animal and would be very serious even for big mutant turtle feet. ' _Aren't these traps illegal in some states?'_ Raph thought.

His gaze moved from the trap and followed Donnie who was moving further through the grass. He was hunched over and careful as if he'd just spotted something.

"What is it?" Raph asked from where he stood.

"I think I found Mikey's footprint…"

Raph rushed next to Don and gazed at the indent in the mossy ground. It was definitely their brother's. He looked beyond to see the track but there wasn't one. Just one, single footprint.

"He's one lucky turtle," Donnie spoke looking back at the bear trap only a few feet away and thought about how close Mikey was to stepping into it.

"I wouldn't use that word," Raphael grumbled. Mikey was far from lucky. This was all the opposite of luck. "Where does the footprint go?" he asked out loud even though he just checked and recognized from it where it was directed. "Comon!"


	13. Chapter 13 : Nothing and Everything

Hello again after an embarrassingly long time... :I

I found some time and motivation to force myself and finish up this story. This chapter is the next to last. I wanted to publish this one and the next one together but don't want to keep you waiting anymore. So you get this now and the next one, that's already half done, hopefully soon. :) Also please note that this chapter might feel like it's written by another person... It's been a while. :P

Thank you all who stuck around and all those who reviewed and forced me to finish this up! From now on I'll no longer post multi-chapter stories until I've written the whole thing already! XD

Anyway, enjoy and of course leave a review.

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Chapter 13 : Nothing and Everything

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The sound of chirping birds around him was getting louder and louder. Each bird's song drowning out the other's until no sound was distinguishable anymore. It formed into a buzz similar to television's static then stretched into a howling underwater echo.

Then nothing.

Silence. Darkness. _Nothing_.

Michelangelo's chest tightened with pain and nausea. He was still cold but it didn't bother him anymore. The darkness around him was caving into him, numbing him. His stomach twisted. He was scared of a thought crawling into his mind that he just did not want to hold onto. But there was nothing else than that one thought:

 _You broke Leo's promise…_

He gulped and turned around to get a better look of his surroundings. But the lack of change in the darkness made him question if he moved at all.

This surely must be the same place Leo's stuck in. It's like the dark void he described; eternal empty space… Nothing as far as the eye can see.

"Hello?"

No answer. The word was completely swallowed by the dark.

Mikey made a move in a random direction to see if he'll stumble across something, _anything_ , and as he made a few steps he felt like he was walking through slush of wet snow but at the same time his feet didn't feel any cold or any pressure on the skin. He reached down to feel the ground but as he did he realized there was no ground at all either. His hand went right pass his feet and further down.

"Uhh…"

He was frightened by now but he felt too detached to panic. He wasn't even sure if he was really there. He didn't feel nor see his body at all. The silence made him feel hollow and absent.

He dove into the blackness and wandered through it in search of something besides him. Maybe he'll find Leo. Maybe he'll know what to do. No, wait! He stopped in place. Leo can't find out. He can't know he broke the promise so quickly. But what else can he do?

 _Think! Think, Mikey!_

He was sure he heard a whisper of something behind him but before he could make out if it was real or not it was already gone, leaving him completely alone again. It was still the only thing he could hold onto. He turned around in the direction of the possible noise. Having to trust himself if he turned in the right direction at all since he was practically blind.

Slowly he started making his way forward. The slushy snow, he was sure was somehow there without being there, became thicker with each step until it was hard for him to move.

Mikey was now positive there was something in that direction.

"Hello?!" he shouted again and got no reply. The silence on its own was deafening. He _needed_ to hear something.

"Anyone there?!"

This time he heard whispers further ahead. They were too quiet to make out but Mikey was sure they were words. And even if they weren't, it was still something.

"Yes!" He ran further into the thick blackness, desperately tearing his way through. "I'm here!"

The whispers and mumbles were getting louder. Mikey could make out someone talking but he wasn't sure who.

"Leo?!"

White light, like an unexpected sunrise, suddenly blinded his eyes. It was painful and chilling him to the bone. The sudden sensation was overwhelming and making him nauseous. He stumbled back.

 _'_ _I think he's waking up'-_

He heard someone familiar speak and felt rough hands on his shoulders pulling him into the light and shaking him.

 _'_ _Mike'-_

 _"_ _Can you hear me?"_

Why was everything so bright and loud? He was freezing and his foot started to hurt out of nowhere. The sudden sensations were overwhelming.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the strong light until he was able to make out smudges of color and soon the face of his brother.

"Mikey? Bro, do you see me?"

The dazed turtle blinked a couple of times, finally feeling the ground beneath him. He looked at Donatello who was holding him and worryingly staring at him. Raphael was kneeling right beside them, the same expression planted on his face.

Mikey was so glad to see them and … –What the heck are they wearing?

"Why do you two look like a criminal and a flasher?" Mikey mumbled.

Donnie and Raph released the breaths they were both holding upon hearing their little brother speak. They smiled at Mikey's remark and were more than happy and relieved to see he's mostly alright. They had stumbled on him lying on the cold ground already ten minutes ago and he wasn't showing any signs of waking up until a few moments ago.

Raph had been completely panicking and so Don shooed him away and told him to call April and Casey instead, while he tried to warm and shake their little brother into awakening.

"Are you alright?" Donnie felt his brother's cheek for the hundredth time. He was so scared Mikey was already in a hibernating state.

"Yeah…" Mikey nodded and tried to get up from the cold ground. His body was aching and freezing.

Donnie eased him up into a sitting position. He wrapped the blanket that had been covering Mikey's front, over his shell too.

Mikey hardly processed what was going on.

Raph leaned closer and gave him a soft pet on the head. "Don't ever scare us like that!" he warned in his brute way.

Mikey was experiencing the worst brain freeze but still forced a shy smile onto his features. What was he supposed to say to that? It's not like he _wanted_ to go through all that happened.

-" _Guys?_ " came a shout from afar.

Mikey was confused for a moment but Donnie simply reacted with "Over here!"

"It's April and Casey," Raph assured him.

Mikey nodded with another brief smile. His slushy head felt extremely heavy again. Pressing it against Donnie's plastron he tried to find some balance. The forced sleep was winning over again.

 _"_ _Mike?"_

He barely understood his name being called. Everything was muffled and blurry again. But he was no longer scared like before. His brothers were there, and his friends close. He didn't need to worry.

Completely exhausted he gave into sleep one more time.


End file.
